HOME DEPARTMENT

Anti-slavery Day

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to mark Anti-Slavery Day on 18 October 2012.

Mark Harper: Ten members of the Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group on Human Trafficking, including myself, are undertaking a range of activities, on or around Anti-Slavery Day, to raise awareness of this important issue.

Emergency Calls: Performance Standards

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average response times to 999 emergency calls were in September (a) 2010 and (b) 2012.

Damian Green: The requested information is not collected centrally by the Home Office.

Extradition: USA

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the UK-US extradition treaty of 2003 has been ratified by both parties and has entered into force.

Mark Harper: The treaty was signed by the Governments of the UK and USA on 31 March 2003. The treaty was approved by the US Senate in September 2006 and the US Instrument was signed by the then President in December 2006. The treaty entered into force when the Governments exchanged Instruments of Ratification on 26 April 2007.
	Since the UK-US treaty entered into force, it has been amended by the UK-US Instrument to the EU-US Agreement on Extradition, which entered into force on 1 February 2010.

Identity and Passport Service

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations the Identity and Passport Service has received from people who find it distressing to remove their glasses when required to do so by the Identity and Passport Service.

Mark Harper: Passport applicants are recommended to remove their glasses for the passport photographs in order to prevent glare and to prevent the frames of the glasses from covering the applicant's eyes. This will help to ensure that the photograph meets the relevant international standards and may help to prevent delays to the processing of the application. There is no record of representations being received on this subject.

Police: Powers

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Government plans to publish its response to the consultation on police powers to promote and maintain public order, which closed in January 2012; and when the Government will announce its position regarding the consultation on amending section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 to remove reference to insulting words or behaviour.

Damian Green: The Government is carefully considering the responses to the consultation ‘Police Powers to Promote and Maintain Public Order’. The Government will publish its response to the consultation in due course.

WALES

Broadcasting Industry

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues and others on the broadcasting industry in Wales.

Stephen Crabb: The Secretary of State for Wales, my right hon. Friend the Member for Clwyd West (Mr Jones), and I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues and others on the broadcasting industry in Wales including a meeting yesterday with Teledwyr Annibynnol Cymru, the Welsh independent producers.

City Regions

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues and others on the development of city regions in Wales.

David Jones: The development of city regions is important for economic growth in Wales and I have already discussed this matter with the First Minister. I will be undertaking further conversations with my ministerial colleagues.

Apprentices

Michael Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales 
	(1)  how many apprentices working in his Department are (a) paid and (b) completing a qualification as part of the apprenticeship;
	(2)  how many (a) paid apprentices and/or (b) paid interns are employed in his Department.

Stephen Crabb: There are two apprentices currently working in the Wales Office. Both are paid and are completing a qualification as part of their apprenticeship. There are currently no interns working in the Wales Office.

West Coast Railway Line

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had on the effects in Wales of the franchise decision for the West Coast Main Line.

David Jones: The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), has assured me that there will be no impact on services as a result of the West Coast Main Line franchise decision.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Equality

Dominic Raab: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 15 May 2012, Official Report, column 29WS on Equalities/Equality and Human Rights Commission, what progress she has made with the review of the general and specific duties under the Public Sector Equality Duty established by the Equality Act 2010; and when the Government expects to publish its findings.

Maria Miller: The review of the Public Sector Equality Duty is under way. At this stage, we are focused on analysing existing research and case law but will shortly commence the gathering of evidence more broadly especially from those who have knowledge and experience about the operation of the duty within their organisations. We announced in the written ministerial statement of 15 May 2012, Official Report, column 29WS, that we will be completing the review by April 2013. A decision on how and when the findings are published has not yet been made.

JUSTICE

Animal Welfare

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many people received custodial sentences for animal cruelty offences in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12; and how many sentences were for more than six months in each of those years;
	(2)  how many people were convicted of animal cruelty offences in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12.

Jeremy Wright: The number of persons found guilty at all courts and given a custodial sentence for animal cruelty offences in England and Wales, from 2009 to 2011 can be viewed in the table.
	There were no sentences imposed greater than six months for animal cruelty offences for the period given in the table. The main offences dealing with animal cruelty in the Animal Welfare Act 2006 are summary only and carry a maximum penalty of six months' imprisonment and/or a level fine (£5,000).
	Annual Court Proceedings statistics for 2012 are planned for publication in May 2013.
	
		
			 Number of persons found guilty at all courts and sentenced to immediate custody for offences relating to animal cruelty (1) , England and Wales, 2009-11 (2,3) 
			  2009 2010 2011 
			 Found guilty 1,132 1,129 1,358 
			 Immediate custody 102 75 102 
			 (1) The offences of animal cruelty are covered by the following Acts; Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, Performing Animals (Regulations) Act 1925, Docking and Nicking of Horses Act 1949, Pet Animals Act 1951, Animal Health Act 1981, Animals (Cruel Poisons) Act 1962, Animal Boarding Establishments Act 1963, Riding Establishments Acts 1964 and 1970, Slaughter of Poultry Act 1967, Agriculture (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1968, Protection of Badgers Act 1992, Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996, Fur Farming (Prohibition) Act 2000 and the Animal Welfare Act 2006. (2) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice

Burglary: Prosecutions

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prosecutions of homeowners after a domestic burglary there have been in the last five years.

Jeremy Wright: Information held centrally by the Ministry of Justice on the Court Proceedings Database does not contain information about the circumstances behind each case, beyond the description provided in the statute under which proceedings are brought. It is not possible to identify from this centrally held information whether a defendant proceeded against for any specific offence is a homeowner following a domestic burglary.

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will initiate a review into the operations of the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

Damian Green: All non-departmental public bodies are subject to triennial reviews as part of the Government's commitment to transparency and accountability. The Commission's triennial review is due this autumn and an announcement will be made shortly.

Domestic Violence: Legal Aid Scheme

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the (a) age, (b) family status and (c) ethnicity was of each claimant of legal aid for matters related to domestic violence in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Grant: The Legal Services Commission is responsible for the operational delivery of legal aid and is able to provide the information as follows.
	The data covers protective injunction cases and private family law matters where domestic violence has been identified as a primary factor. The data includes both initial advice and assistance (‘Legal Help’) as well as legal representation.
	
		
			 Volumes by age bands (1) 
			 Age range 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 0 - Unknown 13,530 1 0 2 1 
			 1 - Under 18 422 608 30j 414 458 
			 2 - 18 to 25 4,929 7,608 8,339 7,344 7,757 
			 3 - 26 to 35 10,242 16,435 16,082 12,891 11,827 
			 4 - 36 to 45 9,486 15,234 14,608 11,253 9,253 
			 5 - 46 to 55 3,789 6,600 5,904 4,388 3,540 
			 6 - 56 to 65 976 1,620 1,555 1,085 899 
			 7 - 65+ 534 779 671 501 378 
			 Total 43,908 48,885 47,720 37,878 34,113 
			 (1 )Please note age only started being recorded from October 2007 for the legal help scheme. 
		
	
	
		
			 Volumes by marriage status (1) 
			 Marriage status 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Cohabit 643 646 596 476 383 
			 Divorced 1,254 1,280 1,104 842 758 
			 Married 1,890 1,973 1,782 1,473 1,353 
			 Separate 4,024 4,674 4,554 3,749 3,593 
			 Single 9,262 10,561 10,733 9,011 9,754 
			 Unknown 26,717 29,630 28,822 22,263 18,196 
			 Widowed 118 121 129 64 76 
			 Total 43,908 48,885 47,720 37,878 34,113 
			 (1 )Please note marital status is only recorded for the civil representation scheme. 
		
	
	
		
			 Ethnicity 2007-02 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Asian or Asian British Other 232 309 355 303 275 
			 Bangladeshi 355 450 430 477 421 
			 Black (African) 588 654 647 560 520 
			 Black (Caribbean) 701 741 722 576 478 
			 Black (Other) 197 231 260 200 190 
			 Chinese 45 48 54 59 27 
			 Indian 633 728 665 514 419 
			 Mixed Other 101 134 126 117 94 
			 Mixed White and Asian 69 78 65 56 55 
			 Mixed White and Black African 56 65 64 57 41 
			 Mixed White and Black Caribbean 197 231 226 211 181 
			 Other 1,432 1,755 1,543 1,132 1,001 
			 Pakistani 1,216 1,301 1,359 1,167 1,117 
			 Unknown 6,130 6,535 6,407 5,012 4,946 
		
	
	
		
			 White British 31,068 34,615 33,668 26,434 23,483 
			 White Irish 201 237 236 185 163 
			 White Other 687 773 893 818 702 
			 Total 43,908 48,885 47,720 37,878 34,113

Electronic Tagging

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he expects to announce the winning bid for his Department's contract relating to the tagging of offenders due to be implemented in April 2013.

Jeremy Wright: The electronic monitoring provision under the future competition will be delivered through four separate contracts: Monitoring and Systems Integration; Software; Hardware; and Networks. We expect to announce the award of these contracts early in 2013 prior to implementation.

Electronic Tagging

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has budgeted for the tendering process for its April 2013 contract relating to the tagging of offenders.

Jeremy Wright: Over the life of the re-competition and procurement of this service, under current plans, the Ministry of Justice expects to have spent around £3.5 million on delivering the new Electronic Monitoring contracts.

Prison Service

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many full-time equivalent employees there were in the Prisons Service on 30 September 2012.

Jeremy Wright: Figures for 30 September 2012 are not yet available.
	At 31 August 2012, the latest period for which figures are available, the number of full-time equivalent staff directly employed by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) was 42,345. This includes staff in HM Prison Service (HMPS) and NOMS headquarters.
	These figures exclude the 1,282 FTE who are on the Ministry of Justice payroll, but work for the National Offender Management Service. HMPS figures include all those directly employed in public sector prisons and area support teams, but not regional services. HMPS and headquarters figures include deputy director of custody (DDC) offices and regional offices.
	Staff employed in private sector prisons are not included in these figures.

Prisons

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to improve violence reduction and suicide and self-harm monitoring procedures at prisons in (a) Merseyside and (b) England and Wales.

Jeremy Wright: All prisons have broad, integrated and evidence-based safer custody management policies and procedures that seek to reduce prisoner distress and provide a safer environment for all who live and work there. However, there is no central monitoring of regional or local initiatives, and to obtain such information would incur disproportionate costs. It is not possible, therefore, to specify any particular procedures in place at prisons in Merseyside.
	The National Offender Management Service's (NOMS) safer custody policy, which includes suicide/self-harm and violence, is outlined in Prison Service Instruction 64/2011 entitled "Management of prisoners at risk of harm to self, to others and from others (Safer Custody)", a copy of which is in the House Library.
	The prison population contains a high proportion of very vulnerable individuals, many of whom have experienced negative life events that we know increase the likelihood of them harming themselves. An individually focussed prisoner care planning system—Assessment Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT)—for those identified at risk of harm has helped prisons to manage self harm. ACCT plans are opened proactively, often in advance of self harming behaviour.
	Prisons take extremely seriously the responsibility of keeping staff, prisoners and visitors safe. The management of violence and its reduction is central to successful prison management. It is fundamental to NOMS' objectives and vital to achieving the broad aims of safer custody.

Prisons

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate his Department has made of the amount it will receive from the disposal of HMP Ashwell and HMP Wellingborough.

Jeremy Wright: The sale of the Ashwell prison site has not yet been completed and disclosing details at this stage of the amount the Ministry of Justice expects to receive from its disposal may adversely affect future negotiations.
	Options for the future use of the Wellingborough site will be considered once the site is operationally closed.

Prisons: Contracts for Services

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what contacts there were between his ministerial team and any of the private-sector bidders during the current prisons market-testing evaluation process before the recent announcement of a delay to that process.

Jeremy Wright: The current phase of prison competitions was launched on 21 October 2011. Since then, Ministers have had contacts with the private-sector bidders as shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Minister Contact 
			 11 November 2011 Crispin Blunt Visited HMP Peterborough, run by Sodexo 
			 22 November 2011 Crispin Blunt Met Tony Leech, Managing Director of Sodexo, at the Ministry of Justice 
			 29 November 2011 Crispin Blunt Visited HMP Altcourse, run by G4S 
			 20 February 2012 Crispin Blunt Visited HMP Oakwood, run by G4S 
			 1 March 2012 Crispin Blunt Visited HMP Doncaster, run by Serco 
		
	
	
		
			 24 July 2012 Crispin Blunt Visited HMP Birmingham, run by G4S 
			 11 September 2012 Jeremy Wright Visited HMP Thameside, run by Serco

Prisons: Merseyside

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to improve inductions for prisoners in (a) HMP Liverpool and (b) HMP Altcourse;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to increase the safety of (a) prison staff and (b) prisoners in (i) HMP Liverpool and (ii) HMP Altcourse;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the effects of (a) HMP Liverpool and (b) HMP Altcourse's learning and skills strategy on re-offending rates on Merseyside;
	(4)  when he expects HM Inspectorate of Prisons to undertake a review of the reducing re-offending strategy at (a) HMP Liverpool and (b) HMP Altcourse; and what support his Department is offering HMP Liverpool with its plans to reduce re-offending.

Jeremy Wright: The information is as follows:
	(1) All prisoners new to custody and/or new to the particular prison are provided with key information relevant to their first days in the establishment: to help them understand their entitlements and responsibilities; and how to access support available to them. Local induction policies must be compliant with the national specification but will be tailored to local needs.
	The induction and first night procedures at HMP Liverpool are under ongoing review with continuous improvements being made, including to the quality of the induction process. The majority of prisoners, including vulnerable prisoners receive their induction on the first working day after their arrival or during their first week into the prison.
	Induction now involves staff from other agencies who can offer support to the prisoner and this is all monitored.
	On arrival at Altcourse all new prisoners are provided with current information on a range of support agencies available. An educational assessment is completed during the induction period as well as a medication review. Altcourse also offers a wide range of support at induction to those who may be vulnerable. Appropriate support is also provided for those with drug or alcohol dependency issues.
	(2) On 22 June 2010, the Prison Officers' Association (POA) and the chief executive officer of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) issued a joint statement which gave a commitment to zero tolerance to violence in prisons including assaults on staff, visitors and prisoners.
	NOMS has a comprehensive violence management information system in place which assists in the analysis and robust management of violent incidents. Reducing violence is fundamental to NOMS' objectives and vital to achieving the broad aims of safer custody.
	Prisons take the responsibility of keeping staff, prisoners and visitors safe extremely seriously. The management of violence and its reduction is central to successful prison management and both HMP Liverpool and Altcourse continue to give it a high priority. Liverpool is shortly to relaunch its violence reduction policy and there has been a decline in violent incidents in Altcourse.
	Issues surrounding safer prisons are also being dealt with at a strategic level at the quarterly safer prisons and security forum which is held regionally involving manager representatives from each establishment in the north west.
	(3) In May 2011 NOMS published, jointly with the Department for Business Innovation and Skills, a Review of Offender Learning which evaluated the efficiency and effectiveness of offender learning and proposed recommendations for radical reform. In response to the review, a new contract for Offenders' Learning and Skills Service (OLASS) was launched in August this year and is in place in the north west of England (including Liverpool). This will help offenders develop the skills they need to become active in their communities, gain employment, reform, and turn away from crime. Evidence suggests that individuals who are in employment are between a third and a half less likely to reoffend.
	Under the new arrangements, there will be a strong focus on assessment of learning needs when prisoners come into custody and addressing literacy and numeracy will be a priority where needed. 12 months prior to release prisoners will be provided with training that will prepare them for employment based on labour market information from the areas into which they will be released. NOMS will also be increasing access to apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships for prisoners. NOMS has set up an Employers Forum for Reducing Re-offending, led by a team of business representatives with real experience of working with prisoners and ex-offenders, to help them better prepare for employment.
	Altcourse, as a contracted prison, does not fall within scope of the OLASS. However, the prison will be engaging in local partnership working with a cluster of prisons in Merseyside, Lancashire and Cumbria, to help them to achieve better outcomes. All aspects of regime delivery at Altcourse are intended to enhance employability and to reduce reoffending rates.
	NOMS publishes quarterly prison reoffending rates on the Justice website. The latest reoffending rates(1) for Liverpool were 55.4% for sentences less than 12 months; and 41.1% for sentences of 12 months or more.
	The latest reoffending rates for Altcourse were 59.7% for sentences less than 12 months; and 41.2% for sentences of 12 months or more. These statistics are for all prisoners released in the 12 month period ending September 2010.
	(4) HMIP is an independent body who set their own inspection programme. HMIP last inspected HMP Liverpool in December 2011 and the report was published in May 2012. HMP Altcourse was last inspected in January 2010 and the report was published in May 2011. Both inspections included a detailed examination of the establishments' strategies for reducing reoffending. The next inspection will be unannounced and will examine the progress they made in this area.
	(1) Due to the different types of offenders held in each prison, raw reoffending rates should not be used to make comparisons between prisons. However, the Ministry of Justice has developed a statistical model that takes account of the variability in the mix of offenders within each prison and which helps to explain if reoffending rates are affected by the specific prison they arc discharged from. The figures outlined above were not found to be significantly different from what was expected after taking into account offence, offender and prison characteristics.

Public Expenditure

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what budget his Department allocated to the (a) Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council, (b) Assessor for Compensation for Miscarriages of Justice, (c) Civil Justice Council, (d) Civil Procedure Rule Committee, (e) Criminal Cases Review Commission, (f) Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, (g) Criminal Procedure Rule Committee, (h) Crown Court Rule Committee, (i) Family Justice Council, (j) HM Inspectorate of Prisons, (k) HM Inspectorate of Probation, (l) Insolvency Rules Committee, (m) Judicial Appointments Commission, (n) Judicial Appointments and Conduct Ombudsman, (o) Judicial Office, (p) Law Commission, (q) Legal Services Board, (r) Legal Services Commission, (s) National Offender Management Service, (t) Probation Service, (u) Court Funds Office, (v) Office of the Information Commissioner, (w) Office for Judicial Complaints, (x) Legal Ombudsman, (y) Office of the Public Guardian, (z) Official Solicitor and Public Trustee, (aa) Parole Board, (bb) Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, (cc) Sentencing Council, (dd) Tribunal Procure Committee, (ee) Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses and (ff) Youth Justice Board in (A) 2012-13, (B) 2013-14 and (C) 2014-15.

Jeremy Wright: The resource budget allocations for 2012-13 as on 15 October 2012 are as follows:
	
		
			 Organisation/body £000 
			 Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council(1) 293 
			 Criminal Cases Review Committee 5,355 
			 Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority 202,034 
			 HM Inspectorate of Prisons 3,794 
			 HM Inspectorate of Probation 3,612 
			 Judicial Appointments Commission 5.220 
			 Judicial Appointments and Conduct Ombudsman 533 
			 Judicial Office 20,001 
			 Law Commission 3,400 
			 Legal Services Commission 2,071,365 
			 National Offender Management Service 2,658,000 
			 Probation Service 814,000 
			 Office of the Information Commissioner 4,463 
			 Office of the Public Guardian (644) 
			 Official Solicitor and Public Trustee 4,973 
			 Parole Board 11,652 
			 Prisons and Probation Ombudsman 5,230 
			 Sentencing Council 1,544 
			 Youth Justice Board 360,876 
			 (1) The Government intends to abolish the Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council under the Public Bodies Act 2011 during 2012-13. As such funding had been allocated in 2012-13 to cover the costs of the AJTC until closure, currently expected to take place by end of January 2013. 
		
	
	The final budget may vary depending on actual expenditure and the Ministry's priorities.
	The Office of the Public Guardian is currently budgeting to receive more income than its expenditure. This is reflected in the organisation's budget. Budgets for the following bodies are part of larger budgets within the core Department for which no distinct budget allocation is made:
	Assessor for Compensation for Miscarriages of Justice
	Civil Procedure Rule Committee
	Criminal Procedure Rule Committee
	Insolvency Rules Committee
	Crown Court Rule Committee
	Court Funds Office
	Tribunal Procedure Committee.
	Budgets for the following bodies are now part of the Judicial Office budget quoted above:
	Civil Justice Council
	Family Justice Council
	Office for Judicial Complaints
	In respect of the following bodies the cost is neutral because these bodies are funded by levies upon the legal profession:
	Legal Services Board
	Legal Ombudsman
	No resource budget allocation has been provided to the Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses as the post is currently vacant.
	The Department has not set budgets for 2013-14 and 2014-15. Budgets will be set as part of the Department's regular annual budget allocation process. Allocations will be made on the basis of need and according to departmental priorities.

Television: Licensing

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people in each county in the north west of England were prosecuted for not having a television licence in each of the last 10 years.

Damian Green: The number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences of installing or using a television receiver without the appropriate licence in the North West region of England from 2002 to 2011 can be viewed in the table.
	Court proceedings data are not available at county level. Data are thus provided in the table at police force area level.
	
		
			 Number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts for television licence evasion offences, by police force area in the North West of England, 2002 to 2011 (1,2,3,4) 
			 Police force area 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 Cheshire 3,777 3,036 3,211 2,902 2,817 3,865 2,700 3,532 3,285 3,100 
			 Cumbria 18 761 677 749 892 1,249 1,044 913 987 1,179 
			 Greater Manchester 5,685 4,483 9,685 9,847 11,084 10,616 8,366 9,991 10,421 10,281 
			 Lancashire 5,058 3,824 4,145 6,270 5,291 5,786 5,552 5,387 5,271 5,991 
			 Merseyside 7,849 6,238 5,987 8,391 7,064 5,140 7,873 8,129 8,202 8,667 
			 Total North West 22,387 18,342 23,705 28,159 27,148 26,656 25,535 27,952 28,166 29,218 
			 (1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Data given for 2002 to 2006, as well as television licence evasion, include proceedings for summary offences under the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949 to 1967. (4) Data given for 2007 to 2011 include offences of television licence evasion only under the Communications Act 2003. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices

Michael Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprentices working in his Department are (a) paid and (b) completing a qualification as part of the apprenticeship.

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills currently has four internal apprentices (i.e. existing staff) working to up-skill to national vocational qualification level 2 or 3. Following the launch of a further internal apprenticeship scheme, a number of additional members of staff will start apprenticeships at the end of October. There are also two externally recruited apprentices working to achieve a basic apprenticeship. All are paid.

Apprentices

Michael Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) paid apprentices and (b) paid interns are employed in his Department.

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills currently employs (a) six apprentices, four of whom are internal and two externally recruited and (b) 34 graduate interns, all of whom are paid the appropriate rate for the grade of work they are doing. Following the launch of a further internal apprenticeship scheme, a number of additional members of staff will start apprenticeships at the end of October 2012.

Apprentices: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many apprenticeship starts there were in Warrington in the (a) public and (b) private sector in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many people have successfully completed apprenticeships in Warrington in the (a) public and (b) private sector in each of the last five years.

Matthew Hancock: Table 1 shows the number of apprenticeship programme starts and framework achievements in Warrington local education authority between the 2006/07 and 2010/11 academic years. Data for 2010/11 is the latest year for which final data are available.
	
		
			 Table 1: Apprenticeship programme starts and achievements by geography, 2006/07 to 2010/11 
			   2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 
			 Warrington local education authority Starts 940 1,060 1,220 1,890 2,440 
			  Achievements 630 620 700 1,000 1,160 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Geographic breakdowns are based upon the home postcode of the learner. 3. Figures are based on the geographic boundaries as of May 2010. Source: Individualised Learner Record 
		
	
	We do not measure the number of apprenticeship starts in the public and private sector.
	Information on the number of apprenticeship starts by geography is published in a supplementary table to a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 11 October 2012:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_supplementary_tables/Apprenticeship_sfr_supplementary_tables/

BAE Systems: EADS

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to separate his role under the Enterprise Act 2002 with regard to adjudicating on the proposed merger of BAE and EADS and his role as the guardian of the Government's golden share as a BAE shareholder. [R]

Michael Fallon: BAE Systems and EADS have decided not to proceed with the proposed merger. With no merger proposed the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), will not need to consider the use of powers in the Enterprise Act 2002 or the use of the Special Share in BAE Systems.

Construction: Lancaster

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the monetary value is of the construction sector to the economy in (a) Lancashire and (b) Pendle constituency.

Michael Fallon: In 2011, orders for new construction work in Lancashire (excluding Blackpool and Blackpool with Darwen) amounted to £456 million. Latest figures show that in the first half of 2012, new orders totalled £262 million.
	Figures are not compiled for areas below local authority/county level.

Extractive Industry Companies

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of progress in reaching agreement on EU transparency laws for extractive industry companies to report their payments to foreign governments at project level.

Jo Swinson: The Government supports EU action to set a global standard for transparency in the payments that extractive industries make to foreign governments.
	We are engaged in EU level negotiations on this issue as part of the directive on the annual financial statements, consolidated financial statements and related reports of certain types of undertakings. The European presidency will soon begin discussions with the European Parliament and the Commission to achieve compromise on outstanding issues.

Green Investment Bank: Pendle

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to encourage green investment in Pendle constituency.

Michael Fallon: We are committed to taking action now to put the whole economy on a low-carbon, resource efficient path. In doing so we need to maintain UK competitiveness and lay the foundations for strong and sustainable growth in the future.
	The Government is making rapid progress towards establishment of the UK Green Investment Bank, which will be a key component of the transition to a green economy. UK Green Investment Bank plc has now been formed with funding of £3 billion; it will complement other green policies to help accelerate additional capital in green infrastructure. It is expected to be fully operational in the autumn, following state aid approval. In the interim, the Government's UK Green Investments team (UKGI) is making Government investments in green infrastructure.
	Following competitive processes, UKGI has committed £180 million to specialist fund mangers to co invest equity in smaller waste infrastructure, energy from waste, and non domestic energy efficiency projects. A pipeline of further projects is under development. All these investments will be made on market terms or meet the requirements for existing state aid exemptions or approvals.
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has a number of programmes that are relevant to the development of the UK's green economy. Government initiatives, such as the Regional Growth Fund (RGF) and the Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain (AMSC) fund encourage investment across sectors and regions, including green or low carbon sectors in the North West. The RGF allocated £7.5 million to the Accelerating Business Growth Programme, a competitive grant scheme that helps fund business growth projects across Lancashire including Pendle, and includes green projects.
	In addition, last year the Government published 'Enabling the Transition to a Green Economy' which will help inform the continuing dialogue between Government, business and communities. It sets out the range of policies we are using to support the transition to a green economy, the opportunities that are created and the implications for the way in which businesses operate.

Newspaper Licensing Agency

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the cost to his Department was of Newspaper Licensing Agency licences for scanned content for each year since 2010.

Jo Swinson: Payments made to the Newspaper Licensing Agency include charges for the digital reproduction and occasional copying of national, regional and foreign publications.
	
		
			 Financial year Total NLA payments excluding VAT (£) 
			 2011-12 73,422.73 
			 2010-11 85,406.23

Nottinghamshire

Mark Spencer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what ministerial visits to (a) the City of Nottingham and (b) Nottinghamshire have taken place since May 2010.

Jo Swinson: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), visited Nottinghamshire on 1 August 2011 and Nottingham on 31 May 2012, the Minister for Universities and Science, the right hon. Member for Havant (Mr Willetts), visited Nottingham on 8 March 2012 and 19 September 2012, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, the right hon. Member for Tunbridge Wells (Greg Clark), visited Nottingham on 30 August 2011 and 9 February 2012, the Minister of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change, the hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Mr Hayes), visited Nottingham on 20 October 2011, 2 November 2011, 25 November 2011, 9 February 2012 and 11 May 2012, and the Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Lord Green, visited Nottingham and Nottinghamshire on 26-7 July 2011, 1 March 2012 and 26-7June 2012.

Recruitment

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills to what extent his Department and the public bodies and agencies for which he is responsible used name-blank or anonymised sifting of applications to recruit staff in the last year for which information is available.

Jo Swinson: holding answer 18 September 2012
	The core Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) did not use name-blank or anonymised sifting of applications to any extent in its recruitment of staff in the last year.
	I have asked chief executives of the executive agencies to respond directly to the right hon. Member. This information is not held by BIS in respect of non-departmental public bodies.
	Letter from Tim Moss, dated 14 September 2012
	I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 13 September 2012, to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, UTN 121550.
	Companies House does not currently use name-blank or anonymised sifting of applications to recruit staff.
	Letter from Sean Dennehey, dated 14 September 2012
	I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 13th September 2012, to the Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The Intellectual Property Office, an executive agency of BIS, has used name-blanked applications for one external recruitment campaign in the past 12 months. Standard practice is currently not to anonymise or name-blank application forms.
	Letter from Heather Foster, dated 14 September 2012
	I write on behalf of Land Registry in response to your Parliamentary Question 121550 tabled on 13 September 2012 which asked the following:
	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, to what extent his Department and the public bodies and agencies for which he is responsible used name-blank or anonymised sifting of applications to recruit staff in the last year for which information is available.
	I can confirm that Land Registry has not used name-blank or anonymised sifting of applications to recruit staff in the last year, nor during 2011/12.
	I hope that you find this information useful.
	Letter from Richard Judge, dated 14 September 2012
	The Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has asked me to reply to your question, to what extent his Department and the public bodies and agencies for which he is responsible used name-blank or anonymised sifting of applications to recruit staff in the last year for which information is available
	The Insolvency Service only has delegated responsibility to recruit below Senior Civil Service level Anonymised sifting of applications is undertaken for all external recruitment it carries out.
	Letter from Dr Vanessa Lawrence CB, dated 14 September 2012
	As Director General and Chief Executive of Ordnance Survey, I have been asked to reply to you in response to your Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills “to what extent his Department and the public bodies and agencies for which he is responsible used name-blank or anonymised sifting of applications to recruit staff in the last year for which information is available”.
	Given the general presumption against recruitment within Government at the present time, Ordnance Survey's recruitment activity has been very limited, to business-critical roles, over the past 24 months. Ordnance Survey does not use name-blank or anonymised sifting of applications to recruit staff. However, such sifting has been used as part of the process for selecting internal candidates into the corporate talent management scheme where candidates may be personally known to all panel members.
	Ordnance Survey adheres to all best practice standards regarding equality data—for example, age, gender, disability—which is collected as part of the application stage but which is not used during the selection process.
	I hope this information is of use.
	Letter from David Williams, dated 17 September 2012
	The UK Space Agency, an executive agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, has not used name-blank or anonymised sifting of applications to recruit staff in the last year, as per the response to PQ415 in June 2012.
	Letter from Kim Thorneywork, dated 17 September 2012
	Thank you for your question in asking the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, to what extent his Department and the public bodies and agencies for which he is responsible used name-blank or anonymised sifting of applications to recruit staff in the last year.
	Please be advised that the Skills Funding Agency only conducts a process of using named applications for sifting recruitment purposes.
	Letter from John Hirst, dated 17 September 2012
	I am replying on behalf of the Met Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 13 September 2012, UIN 121550 to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The Met Office recruitment process uses a system of anonymised sifting for all job applications.
	I hope this helps.
	Letter from Peter Mason, dated 17 September 2012
	I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office (NMO) to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 13 September 2012, asking the Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills about the use of name-blank or anonymised sifting of applications to recruit staff.
	NMO does not name blank or anonymise application forms for vacancies in the Agency.

Regional Assistance: Northern Ireland

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect on Northern Ireland of proposals to remove automatic assisted area status for Northern Ireland in 2014.

Michael Fallon: The Government published the response to the consultation on revising the Industrial Development Act 1982 (IDA) on 28 June. The response confirms the Government's intention to remove the automatic 100% assisted area status of Northern Ireland, and to make a number of more technical revisions to update the IDA.
	An impact assessment for all four proposed changes was included at annex 3 of the Industrial Development Act Revisions consultation document. However, the post 2013 allocation implications for Northern Ireland of removing the automatic 100% assisted area coverage will not be known until the new regional aid guidelines are implemented by the European Commission in 2013 and we start to draw up the 2014-2020 assisted areas map. An economic and equality impact assessment will be undertaken at this time.

Regional Growth Fund: North East

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 18 September 2012, Official Report, column 642W, on Regional Growth Fund: North East, how many bidders to the Regional Growth Fund in the North East have had their funding withdrawn due to a failure to agree terms; and what estimate he has made of the value of such withdrawn funding.

Michael Fallon: Pursuant to the answer of 18 September 2012, Official Report, column 642W, on Regional Growth Fund: North East, one bidder who had a conditional RGF allocation of £0.2 million as part of a package has withdrawn from the process as their project was unlikely to proceed.
	Announcement on selected bids from the third bidding round will be made this month.

Shops: Empty Property

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many shops have been empty in Ashfield constituency in (a) each of the last five years and (b) the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many shops have closed in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire, (c) the East Midlands and (d) England in (i) each of the last five years and (ii) the latest period for which figures are available.

Michael Fallon: This information is not held centrally. While there are commercial providers of such data, these tend to be focused on limited geographical areas such as town centres, rather than entire administrative areas.
	However, as part of our commitment to improving our high streets, we are implementing virtually all of the recommendations of the Portas review.
	We have also taken steps to support all our town centres: doubled small business rate relief, given councils new powers to cut rates for local firms while scrapping Whitehall rules that instructed them to hike parking charges, and outlined new plans to bring empty shops back into use by changing their use for two years.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of badgers within each pilot cull area.

David Heath: Badger population estimates for the pilot areas have been generated using the methodology published on the DEFRA website.
	We have yet to issue definitive target figures for the two areas, but the best estimate for the number of badgers within each pilot area is, to the nearest 100:
	West Gloucestershire: 3,600
	West Somerset: 4,300

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funds have been provided by (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies for the vaccination of badgers in (i) Gloucestershire and (ii) Somerset.

David Heath: DEFRA is funding the Badger Vaccine Development Project (BVDP) to assess the practicability and learn lessons from using badger vaccine, and to build confidence in the principles of vaccination. Vaccination has been taking place near Stroud in Gloucestershire since 5 July 2010. To date DEFRA has paid the Food and Environment Research Agency £927,000.
	DEFRA has created a Vaccination Fund to support vaccination of badgers in the badger control areas of Gloucestershire and Somerset. The fund also provides grants to support staff and volunteers from voluntary and community sector organisations wishing to train as lay badger vaccinators.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of badgers that have been vaccinated within a two kilometre area in each of the two pilot cull areas.

David Heath: While DEFRA has not made an estimate of the number of badgers that have been vaccinated either on unculled land within each of the two pilot cull areas or within the adjacent two kilometre ring, vaccination is one of many methods of minimising the effect of perturbation.
	As part of its evidence-based approach, DEFRA has adopted averages achieved in the RBCT for land coverage area, the proportion of animals to be removed as minimum criteria and culls must be carried out annually for a minimum of four years. This is to ensure that the culls are conducted in a co-ordinated, sustained and simultaneous manner and to minimise the effects of perturbation. Further to this there are minimum biosecurity requirements and applicants must make use of barriers and buffers, such as motorways, rivers and coastlines, in addition to vaccination, where practical at the boundary of the culling areas.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the total land area in (a) Gloucestershire and (b) Somerset where vaccination of badgers has taken place.

David Heath: While DEFRA has not made an estimate of the of the total land area in the two counties on which vaccination of badgers has taken place. We do know, however, from our own Badger Vaccine Deployment Project, that vaccination has taken place on badgers within an area of at least 110km(2) in Gloucestershire.
	As part of its evidence-based approach, DEFRA has adopted averages achieved in the RBCT for land coverage area and, the proportion of animals to be removed as minimum criteria, and culls must be carried out annually for a minimum of four years. This is to ensure that the culls are conducted in a co-ordinated, sustained and simultaneous manner and to minimise the effects of perturbation. Further to this there are minimum biosecurity requirements and applicants must make use of barriers and buffers, such as motorways, rivers and coastlines, in addition to vaccination, where practical at the boundary of the culling areas.

Ducks: Animal Welfare

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take steps to ensure ducks are reared under RSPCA standards.

David Heath: The Government is committed to improved standards of welfare of all livestock. The welfare of ducks is provided for in the general provisions of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007. DEFRA also has a duck welfare code which keepers are required by law to have access to and be familiar with, which encourages high standards of husbandry.
	DEFRA completed a three-year research project in 2007 to assess whether farmed ducks needed bathing water and if so, how it should be provided. The findings of this research were built on, with the RSPCA, academics and the duck industry, to look at how water could be provided to ducks in a commercial setting, while being mindful of the risk to biosecurity. DEFRA took an active part in the accompanying RSPCA 'Higher Duck Welfare Programme' steering group. As a result of this collaborative approach, duck welfare standards have been raised as both the RSPCA's Freedom Foods scheme and the industry's own Duck Assurance Scheme have ensured that their standards reflect the latest research.
	DEFRA welcomes the availability of duck meat products reared to a range of standards which meet the law and allows consumers to make their own choice in purchasing.

Floods: Insurance

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the insurance industry and other stakeholders on the availability of affordable flood insurance; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: The availability and affordability of insurance in flood risk areas is an important issue for this Government.
	The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson), has recently met with the Association of British Insurers as part of intense but constructive negotiations with the insurance industry on what replaces the Statement of Principles agreement.
	A number of options are under consideration and we are working hard with the industry to ensure that insurance against flooding remains widely available and affordable. Further announcements will be made in due course.

Food Poverty

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he has made an estimate of the level of food poverty in the UK.

David Heath: There is no official estimate of the level of food poverty in the UK. DEFRA actively monitors retail food prices and the drivers behind changes in commodity prices. Research shows that the key drivers behind changes in food prices are global agricultural commodity prices, exchange rates, and fluctuating oil prices.
	We know that some households are seeing the amount they spend on food increase, and there is evidence some low income households are trading down on certain products.
	It is not Government's role to set retail food prices. Government provides safety nets through welfare to support those on low incomes and out of work. The Government also provides a number of schemes to help the most vulnerable in society afford and have access to nutritious food, such as the Healthy Start scheme.
	We work internationally to promote transparency, open global markets and a competitive domestic market to help producers and retailers offer the best prices to consumers.

Peat

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had on the phasing out of peat in compost and other growing media; what recent assessment he has made of the value of conserving peat bogs to (a) carbon storage, (b) biodiversity and (c) water quality and surface water management; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: With respect to the use of peat in growing media, I discussed the emerging findings of the Sustainable Growing Media Task Force with its chairman, Dr Alan Knight OBE, in May prior to the publication of the task force's report in July. My officials are involved in ongoing discussions with both task force members and other interested parties, and the Government will produce its response to the report by the end of this year.
	Government recognises the important role that functioning peat bogs can play in delivering a range of ecosystem services including climate regulation and water storage and purification. The most recent national assessment of the value of peat bogs was part of the Natural Ecosystem Assessment. It identified gaps in the evidence base to assess the impact of peatland management on carbon storage and DEFRA has research in place to address these gaps. A particular gap is the evidence on lowland peatlands (from where peat is extracted for horticultural use) and DEFRA is funding a £1.75 million research project to address this.

Trees: Diseases

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the potential threat to UK ash trees of fungus from continental Europe;

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to reduce the spread of Chalara fraxinea.

David Heath: The Government are taking the threat posed by Chalara fraxinea extremely seriously.
	Officials from the Forestry Commission and the Food and Environment Research Agency are working together to protect the UK's ash trees in response to the UK findings of ash dieback caused by Chalara fraxinea.
	The Plant Health Authorities are following up findings. Trees found to be infected are destroyed and those in the vicinity of infected sites are also being monitored by the Plant Health Authority to check for the presence of the disease. Inspections of nurseries growing and trading ash plants as well as monitoring of the wider environment is taking place. The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson), recently confirmed our intention to introduce a ban on ash imports and movements, if this was supported by the outcome of the current consultation on the pest risk assessment for this disease and the results of the surveillance being carried out. The consultation will close on 26 October. A ban could then come into force before the main planting season gets underway in November. In the meantime, we will continue to act on a precautionary basis against any further findings.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Bed and Breakfast Accommodation: Children

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homeless children aged 16 years old and under were accommodated in bed and breakfast accommodation provided by local authorities for more than six weeks in each of the last seven years; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The information requested is not available. Local authorities provide the Department with figures for the total number of dependent children within households in bed and breakfast accommodation as at the end of each quarter, but separate figures are not collected for the number of children in those households that have been in such accommodation for more than six weeks.
	It is unacceptable and avoidable for families to be placed in bed and breakfast. Legislation remains in place that prohibits the use of bed and breakfast for families unless in an emergency, and then for no more than six weeks. The law is also clear that local authorities must be satisfied that any accommodation they secure is suitable for the applicant and their household.
	The Department has offered support and assistance to authorities with the most families with children in bed and breakfast accommodation for more than six weeks to help them reduce those numbers.

Buildings: Standards

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the membership will be of the group reviewing building standards; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The Local Housing Standards Review Group will comprise standards owners and members of key partner organisations. Details of the organisations are expected to be announced shortly.

Cambridge

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new households there were in Cambridge in each of the last 11 years; and what the change in the population of Cambridge was in each of the last 11 years.

Mark Prisk: The Department for Communities and Local Government publishes household estimates and projections for local authority districts. The latest projections are 2008-based and include the following figures for Cambridge:
	
		
			  Number of households  (thousand) 
			 2001 43 
			 2002 42 
			 2003 41 
			 2004 41 
			 2005 42 
			 2006 43 
			 2007 43 
			 2008 45 
			 2009 45 
			 2010 45 
			 2011 46 
			 Source: Department for Communities and Local Government 
		
	
	The Office for National Statistics official population estimates for Cambridge are
	shown in the following table for the last 11 years:
	
		
			 Mid year Total population 
			 2001 109,941 
			 2002(1) 107,905 
			 2003(1) 107,982 
			 2004(1) 107,317 
			 2005(1) 110,749 
			 2006(1) 112,873 
			 2007(1) 115,731 
			 2008 118,736 
			 2009 121,138 
			 2010 125,717 
			 2011(2) 122,725 
			 (1) Revised due to improved migration estimates. (2) Official mid-2011 estimate based on results of the 2011 census and not consistent with estimates for earlier years. Source: Office for National Statistics

Cambridge

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the economic performance of Cambridge in the last 10 years.

Mark Prisk: The Department does not produce specific economic assessments of Cambridge or the surrounding area.

Cambridge

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of (a) the likely change in the number of dwellings in Cambridge between 2011 and 2021 and (b) the likely change in population between 2011 and 2021.

Mark Prisk: There are no official projections of dwellings numbers.
	The Department for Communities and Local Government publishes household projections that show household numbers based on population projections and demographic trends, that are used by local authorities in assessing future housing trends. They show the following projected total households for Cambridge:
	
		
			  Household projections (thousand) 
			 2010 45 
			 2011 46 
			 2012 46 
			 2013 47 
			 2014 47 
			 2015 48 
			 2016 48 
			 2017 49 
			 2018 49 
			 2019 49 
			 2020 50 
			 2021 50 
			 2022 51 
			 2023 51 
			 2024 52 
			 2025 52 
			 2026 53 
			 2027 53 
			 2028 54 
			 2029 54 
			 2030 55 
			 2031 55 
			 2032 56 
			 2033 56 
			 Source: Department for Communities and Local Government 
		
	
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) 'Interim 2011-based sub-national population projections' are the most recent population projections at local authority district level. They are published at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-274527

Children: Disadvantaged

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many families were assisted by family intervention projects in each of the last five years; and what the different categories for families who have been assisted are.

Brandon Lewis: The Government has previously published statistics on families supported by Family Intervention Projects. The last published figures show that Family Intervention Projects had worked with just under 9,000 families between February 2007 and March 2011. New figures up to March 2012 will be available shortly. The statistics have not shown different categories of families, but have included information on outcomes in four separate domains: family functioning and risk; crime and antisocial behaviour; health; education and employment.
	The figures may underestimate the number of families helped as some projects stopped supplying information to the national system when it ceased to be a condition of grant.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have received funding to enable them to change from alternate weekly to weekly refuse collection in 2012-13; and which local authorities have received additional funding to enable them to maintain weekly collection rather than changing to alternate weekly collections to date.

Brandon Lewis: My Department is currently assessing the final bids that we received requesting funding from the Weekly Collection Support Scheme. Ministers will make a statement in due course.

Electric Cables

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the proportion of electrical cabling installed that was counterfeit or falsely marked in each of the last five years.

Mark Prisk: No such estimate has been made. The Department for Business Innovation and Skills has commissioned the Health and Safety Executive to look into cable standards and counterfeiting but they have yet to produce a final report.

Electric Cables

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he has had with UK electrical cabling manufacturers on preventing the importation and installation of counterfeit or falsely-marked electrical cabling.

Mark Prisk: This Department has had no such discussions.

Electric Cables

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of electrical cabling installed in the UK in each of the last five years which was counterfeit or falsely marked.

Mark Prisk: No such estimate has been made. The Department for Business Innovation and Skills has commissioned the Health and Safety Executive to look into cable standards and counterfeiting but they have yet to produce a final report.

First Time Buyers

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many first-time house buyers there were in (a) Birmingham, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England in each of the last three years.

Mark Prisk: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not collect the information requested. The Council of Mortgage Lenders has information on mortgages to first time buyers.

Housing: Construction

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what evidence his Department has on the number of properties with planning consent which are not being built due to unviability resulting from the scale of section 106 obligations.

Mark Prisk: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave today, to the right hon. Member for Leeds Central (Hilary Benn).

Housing: Construction

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new homes in each English local authority have planning permission.

Mark Prisk: The number of new homes which have been granted planning permission by local authority is not available centrally.

Housing: Construction

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many new homes are stalled due to site viability under section 106 in each local authority in England;
	(2)  what the evidential basis is for his estimate of the number of new homes stalled due to site viability under section 106.

Mark Prisk: According to the Glenigan database, there are approximately 75,000 housing units:
	“currently stalled due to sites being commercially unviable.”
	Section 106 agreements are locally negotiated and circumstances will vary greatly from site to site. Information on the impact of local, Section 106 requirements on individual site viability is therefore not centrally held. However, we expect our measures to create an incentive for developers to review schemes and bring forward those which would benefit from revised Section 106 provisions.

Housing: Construction

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether it is his policy to include planning applications for housing above a certain size in the definition of major infrastructure projects under the Planning Act 2008.

Nicholas Boles: No.

Housing: Construction

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 17 September 2012, Official Report, column 484W, on housing: construction, if he will make it his policy that Part M of the Building Regulations applies to extensions made to domestic buildings; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The Government have no plans at present to change the limits of application of Part M of the Building Regulations.

Local Government

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have signed a formal duty to co-operate as defined in the Localism Act 2012.

Nicholas Boles: Section 110 of the Localism Act 2011 introduced a duty to cooperate to support a locally-led approach to strategic planning. The duty requires local authorities and other public bodies to work together constructively, actively and on an ongoing basis on strategic cross-boundary matters when preparing local and marine plans.
	The duty to cooperate is not a formal document to be signed and in the spirit of localism, the Act does not prescribe how the duty should be met. The Act requires authorities to demonstrate to an independent inspector how they have complied with the duty at the plan's examination in public. Authorities must also report on their performance against the duty to cooperate in their monitoring reports.

Non-domestic Rates

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the likely growth in income from National Non-Domestic Rates in the next 10 years; what assumptions about (a) increases in Retail Prices Index and (b) economic growth he used in making such an assessment; and if he will place copies of all documents relating to it in the Library.

Brandon Lewis: The Office for Budget Responsibility forecast for Great Britain business rates up to 2016-17 is shown in Table 4.7 of their March 2012 “Economic and fiscal outlook”. This incorporates DCLG's forecast of National Non-Domestic Rates growth in England. They produce forecasts of economic growth and RPI, which were used in the business rates forecast and are published in Table 4.3 of the their “Outlook”.
	These estimates do not take into account the potential benefits from the local retention of business rates being introduced through the Local Government Finance Bill. Separate analysis of the benefits to economic growth from these reforms can be found online at:
	www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/businessrateseconomic

Planning Inspectorate: Staff

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he proposes any increase in staffing of the Planning Inspectorate to manage the increased workload resulting from planning policy changes announced in September 2012.

Nicholas Boles: My officials are working closely with the Planning Inspectorate to review its resource and staffing requirements in the light of the policy announcements made in September.

Private Rented Housing: Electrical Safety

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to ensure that landlords in the private rental sector comply with electrical safety standards; and if he will ensure that appropriate action is taken against those who fail to do so.

Mark Prisk: Private landlords are responsible for ensuring that their properties are safe. The Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 requires that electrical installations are safe when a tenancy begins, and are maintained in a safe condition throughout the tenancy.
	Local authorities have powers, under the Housing Act 2004, to assess the risks and hazards in all residential properties using the Housing Health and Safety Rating System. If a property is found to contain serious (category 1) hazards, the local authority has a duty to take the most appropriate action. This could range from trying to deal with the problems informally at first to prohibiting the use of the whole or part of the dwelling. The Government continues to urge local authorities to make full use of their powers.

Social Services: Older People

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the proportion of council budgets which will need to be spent on adult social care in each of the next 10 years; and what assumptions he has made of (a) the growth in numbers of elderly people and (b) increases in the cost of social care in reaching that estimate.

Brandon Lewis: The Office for National Statistics is responsible for population projections. On 28 September they published projections of the population for the next 10 years which included the projected number of elderly people.
	The 'Technical Consultation on Business Rates Retention', which closed on 24 September, sets out Government's proposals on local authority financing. More broadly, social care reform is being considered as part of the Government's response to the Dilnot Commission. The Department of Health published a progress report on funding reform in July 2012 (Cm 8381), a copy of which is in the Library of the House.

HEALTH

Bovine Tuberculosis

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people contracted bovine tuberculosis (a) through contact with cattle and (b) by ingesting products produced by infected cattle and what the biological mechanisms were for contracting the disease.

Anna Soubry: Between 2007 and 2011, 97 cases of “Mycobacterium bovis” were reported in England and Wales, as shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of “Mycobacterium bovis” cases reported to Health Protection Agency national surveillance, England and Wales, 2007-11 
			  Number of cases 
			 2007 20 
			 2008 16 
			 2009 16 
			 2010 23 
			 2011 22 
			 Total 97 
			 Source: Health Protection Agency 
		
	
	Of the cases reported, 38 had contact with cattle recorded.
	From the 97 cases reported; 42 reported consumption of raw (or directly from farm) dairy products in their lifetime. Of these, only two reported consumption since 1995. The Health Protection Agency does not collect data on whether or not the dairy products consumed were from infected cattle.
	The two most likely mechanisms of transmission to humans are (a) by ingestion of the organism in contaminated dairy products or (b) by inhalation of the organism expelled from the lungs of an infected cow.

Care Homes

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of care homes in each region which do not meet national minimum standards of care.

Norman Lamb: We are informed by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) that, under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, providers of adult social care services—including residential and nursing care homes—were required to register with the Care Quality Commission by 1 October 2010. Regulations in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 set out essential standards of quality and safety that people who use health and social care services have a right to expect. The CQC monitors and inspects providers against these standards, carrying out inspections regularly and at any time in response to concerns.
	The table shows information provided by the CQC on the numbers of care homes registered by the CQC in each region and, numbers which were judged not to be compliant with one or more of the essential standards as at 1 August 2012.
	
		
			 Region Number of care homes registered with the CQC, as at 8  Aug ust 2012 Number of registered care homes per region currently judged to be non compliant  against one or more outcome,  as at 1 August 2012 
			 East Midlands 1,623 428 
			 East of England 1,873 371 
			 London 1,779 368 
			 North East 920 160 
			 North West 2,145 397 
			 South East 3,385 536 
			 South West 2,430 486 
			 West Midlands 1,876 470 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 1,662 190 
			 Totals 17,693 3,406 
		
	
	The CQC's most recent Market Report, published in June 2012, is available on its website at:
	www.cqc.org.uk/public/our-market-report
	It shows the proportion of adult social care services inspected that were meeting the standards. The results of CQC's inspections showed that:
	72% of services inspected were meeting all the standards.
	27% were not meeting at least one standard. In these cases, the CQC was satisfied with an action plan from the provider setting out how it was going to improve.
	In 1% of cases, the CQC's concerns were serious enough to cause it to take enforcement action.

Hunter Syndrome

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department plans to take to ensure the continued availability of enzyme replacement therapy for children with Hunter syndrome following the winding-up of the Advisory Group for National Specialised Services.

Anna Soubry: We are currently consulting with the NHS Commissioning Board on the list of services which will be directly commissioned by the Board from 1 April 2013. Included within that list are services for people with Lysosomal Storage Disorders such as Hunter's Syndrome. These commissioning arrangements are not dependent on the existence of the independent stakeholder Advisory Group for National Specialised Services which currently advises Ministers on the specialised services to be commissioned on a national basis.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what his policy is on whether the refusal of a Clinical Commissioning Group to fund three full cycles of IVF to eligible couples constitutes a failure to discharge its duties;
	(2)  whether he proposes that those Clinical Commissioning Groups who do not provide three full cycles of IVF to eligible couples should publically state the reasoning behind their commissioning decision;
	(3)  in what circumstances he proposes that a Clinical Commissioning Group would be classed as having failed to discharge its duties in relation to the provision of infertility treatment.

Anna Soubry: From April 2013, infertility treatment services will be commissioned by Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) with the NHS Commissioning Board providing oversight and support. The current National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence fertility guidance is not mandatory for NHS commissioners but the Government has consistently encouraged commissioners to take full account of this guidance, in particular the recommendation to offer three full cycles of in vitro fertilisation to qualifying couples.
	The NHS Commissioning Board will have general intervention powers in relation to CCGs, should it be satisfied that a CCG is failing or has failed to discharge any of its functions, or there is a significant risk that it will fail to do so. These include directing the CCG to discharge a function in a particular way and within a specified period. The Board will also have powers to require documents and information, and to require from a CCG explanation of how it is proposing to exercise any of its functions. Legislation requires the Board to publish guidance setting out how it proposes to exercise its intervention powers, so as to ensure that the arrangements are clear and transparent.
	Under the NHS Constitution, patients have the following right:
	“You have the right to expect local decisions on funding of other drugs and treatments to be made rationally following a proper consideration of the evidence. If the local NHS decides not to fund a drug or treatment you and your doctor feel would be right for you, they will explain that decision to you”.

Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what support and treatment his Department provides for sufferers of pseudoxanthoma elasticum.

Anna Soubry: Pseudoxanthoma elasticum is a fairly rare genetic disorder. Professional guidance on the diagnosis and treatment of pseudoxanthoma elasticum is available from the following website:
	www.patient.co.uk
	a source familiar to general practitioners and other clinicians. It is for local commissioners to determine their priorities for commissioning local services for people with this condition, in the light of the available evidence and local needs and resources.

Psychiatry

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) medical and (b) non-medical staff there were in the psychiatry group of specialties in the NHS in England, by primary care trust, on 31 July in each year since 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: Details of the numbers of medical and non-medical staff in the psychiatry group of specialties employed by the national health service in England, shown by trust for each year since 2005 have been placed in the Library.
	Monthly workforce data were not made available until September 2009, therefore for comparability over the whole period the data have been provided as at 30 September, taken from the annual workforce census.
	As the vast majority of these staff work within NHS trusts rather than primary care trusts (PCTs) and it is not possible to link a trust geographically to a PCT and assign its staff in this way, the data have been provided by strategic health authority area for all organisations (including PCTs) who employed these staff.

Thalidomide

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will make it his policy to provide financial assistance on a permanent basis to people living with the effects of thalidomide; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  when he expects to make an announcement on the future of the pilot Thalidomide Health Grant.

Norman Lamb: My right hon. Friend the Member for Sutton and Cheam (Paul Burstow), the former Minister of State, met with the hon. Member for Elmet and Rothwell (Alec Shelbrooke), chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group, along with members of the Thalidomide Trust and the National Advisory Council, in June. At that meeting, he committed to providing a decision on future funding in the autumn of this year. I have since repeated that commitment.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to improve public understanding of the work of the armed forces in Afghanistan.

Andrew Robathan: Public understanding of the contribution of the armed forces to the overall NATO/ISAF mission in Afghanistan and the pursuit of Her Majesty's Government's foreign and security policy objectives is advanced through a variety of methods. We invite journalists, commentators and documentary makers to join members of the armed forces in theatre so that they can experience their achievements in Afghanistan first hand and gain a better understanding of the circumstances under which our troops are operating. We organise regular ministerial and other VIP visits with accompanying media coverage. In addition, we often arrange briefings for the media, both in Afghanistan and the UK, on operational developments. News articles and updates for the media and general public are posted daily on the Ministry of Defence and armed forces' websites, Facebook and Twitter pages.

Aircraft Carriers

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for how many months of the year the Queen Elizabeth class carrier will be operational.

Philip Dunne: The decision to revert to a Short Take Off Vertical Landing design carrier, announced by the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), on 10 May 2012, Official Report, columns 140-42, will give us the ability to use both Queen Elizabeth class carriers to provide continuous carrier availability at sea. A final decision on the use of the second carrier will be taken as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review in 2015.

Aircraft Carriers

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many sorties can be flown from a Queen Elizabeth class carrier in 24 hours.

Philip Dunne: The Queen Elizabeth (QE) class aircraft carrier will have the capacity to deploy up to 36 Lightning II aircraft and four helicopters. Alternatively, it can also carry a mix of helicopters, the precise mix of aircraft being dependent on the mission, enabling the QE class to support a broad range of operations. I am withholding the information on how many sorties can be flown in 24 hours, as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Aircraft Carriers

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the additional cost of running a second Queen Elizabeth class carrier would be.

Philip Dunne: The in-service support solution for the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers is still in development, with a decision expected around the middle of this decade. The final decision on the use of the second carrier is expected as part of the strategic defence and security review in 2015.

Armed Forces: Officers

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 17 September 2012, Official Report, on infantry officers, what calculations his Department made in reaching the decision that the information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 15 October 2012
	I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 17 September 2012, Official Report, column 454W. The Ministry of Defence does not hold centrally information relating to the numbers of infantry officers who have left the Army within two years of commanding their regiments. Complete information could only be produced by undertaking a manual comparison of Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) system records since 2007 with separately held appointment board records. It was assessed that this bespoke work would have taken one person in excess of four days.

Astute Class Submarines

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether design work has been carried out to modify the design of later submarines in the Astute class in order for them to be powered by PWR3 reactors;
	(2)  whether the seventh submarine in the Astute class will use a PWR2 or PWR3 reactor.

Philip Dunne: The seventh Astute class submarine will be powered by Pressurised Water Reactor 2 (PWR2). No design work has been carried out to modify Astute class submarines in order for them to be powered by Pressurised Water Reactor 3 (PWR3), rather than PWR2. PWR3 is a new design that exploits technology that was not available when the Astute design was finalised.

BAE Systems: EADS

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the proposed merger of BAE Systems and EADS on the Scottish defence industry.

Philip Dunne: BAE Systems and EADS have decided not to proceed with the proposed merger.

Freedom of Information

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department intends to respond to a freedom of information request (reference 20120606/FOI-MSU4.7.6_U) submitted in April.

Andrew Robathan: I replied to the hon. Member on 1 May 2012 and substantively on 16 July 2012.

Olympic Games 2012: Security

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how much compensation has been paid to members of the armed forces for cancelled holidays and other costs incurred as a consequence of their being deployed to provide security at the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics; what estimate he has made of the total figure allowing for outstanding claims; what the (a) largest and (b) lowest such payment was; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many members of the armed forces have received compensation payments for cancelled holidays and other costs incurred as a consequence of their being deployed to provide security at the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics; how many such claims have yet to be settled; whether there is a time limit for making such claims; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what payment to the public purse G4S has made to cover the costs of deploying members of the armed forces to provide security at the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: The contract for security during the Olympic Games was between G4S and the London Organising Committee (LOCOG) as event organiser rather than with the Government and commercial negotiations are ongoing. The Ministry of Defence is currently calculating the cost of its involvement and this will be passed to LOCOG for its negotiations with G4S.
	Claims for compensation by service personnel who have been financially disadvantaged by their deployment can be made through service channels. However, it is too soon to say how many have, or will be compensated and how much this figure will come to. There is no time limit imposed on submitting claims.
	The largest claim that the single services can authorise is for £5,000 and we anticipate that most claims will be below this figure. There are mechanisms in place through direct contact with the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency to deal with any claim in excess of that figure.

SCOTLAND

Anti-slavery Day

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to mark Anti-Slavery Day on 18 October 2012.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office is fully engaged in the UK Government's commitment to marking Anti-Slavery Day. I will be visiting Edinburgh airport to discuss with UK Border Force staff and their partner organisations, strategies to combat human trafficking and arrangements to deal with victims. My ministerial colleague, the Lord Wallace of Tankerness QC, Advocate-General for Scotland, is representing the UK Government at the Scottish Government's summit on human trafficking in Edinburgh.

Cabinet Growth Implementation Committee

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to the answer of 11 September 2012, Official Report, column 124W, whether the membership of the Cabinet Growth Implementation Committee has been confirmed.

Michael Moore: The membership of the Cabinet Growth Implementation Committee has not yet been confirmed.

Defence: Employment

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the proposed merger of BAE Systems and EADS on employment in the Scottish defence sector;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had with his ministerial colleagues on the proposed merger of BAE Systems and EADS.

Michael Moore: On 10 October, BAE Systems and EADS decided not to proceed with the proposed merger. The two companies will remain as successful independent companies, each with a significant presence in the UK and Scotland. The Government has always been clear that it could see the commercial logic of this deal but that it would only ever work if it met the interests of all the parties involved. For the UK this meant protecting our national security, investment and jobs, including those jobs based in Scotland.
	Ministers and officials meet regularly to discuss a wide range of topics.

Electoral Register

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether the annual canvass of voters due to take place in Scotland in Autumn 2013 will request information on 14 and 15 year olds resident in households.

David Mundell: The annual canvass of voters will not request information on 14 and 15-year-olds.

Research

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on research and development in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10, (c) 2010-11 and (d) 2011-12; and how much he plans to spend in (i) 2012-13, (ii) 2013-14 and (iii) 2014-15.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office expenditure on research and development in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10, (c) 2010-11 and (d) 2011-12 is shown in the following table. There are no plans to incur such costs in (i) 2012-13, (ii) 2013-14 and (iii) 2014-15.
	
		
			  Cost (£) 
			 2008-09 43,225 
			 2009-10 7,000 
			 2010-11 0 
		
	
	
		
			 2011-12 0

Research

Chris Kelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what external policy research his Department has commissioned in each of the last six years; from which organisation each such piece of research was commissioned; and what the cost of each such piece of research was.

David Mundell: The items of policy research and costs that the Scotland Office has commissioned in the last six years are as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2008-09 Quadrant Consultants—research into voters' perceptions following the 2007 Scottish Parliament elections 24,250 
			 2009-10 University of Glasgow—research support to the Glasgow Task Force on generational poverty and benefit reliance 7,000

Sovereignty

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with electoral registration officers in Scotland and the Scottish Electoral Management Board on the proposed extension of the franchise to 16 and 17 year olds in relation to the referendum on independence.

David Mundell: There have been no discussions between UK Government Ministers and the electoral registration officers in Scotland and the Scottish Electoral Management Board on the proposals to enable 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in the referendum. It will be for the Scottish Government to propose whether to enable 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in the referendum and if they choose to do so, to propose any mechanism for registering 16 and 17-year-olds. It will be for the Scottish Parliament to consider and approve any proposals made by the Scottish Government.

Sovereignty

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the mechanisms that will be put in place for voter registration of 16 and 17 year olds prior to Autumn 2014 for the forthcoming referendum on independence.

David Mundell: It will be for the Scottish Government to propose whether to enable 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in the referendum and if they choose to do so, to propose any mechanism for registering 16 and 17-year-olds. It will be for the Scottish Parliament to consider and approve any proposals made by the Scottish Government.

Sovereignty

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has had discussions with Ministerial colleagues on whether extending the franchise to 16 and 17 year olds in the forthcoming referendum on independence in Scotland will require legislative proposals to be introduced into the Electoral Registration and Administration Bill.

David Mundell: There have been no discussions about introducing legislative proposals into the Electoral Registration and Administration Bill to enable 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in the independence referendum. It will be for the Scottish Government to propose whether to enable 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in the referendum and if they choose to do so, to propose any mechanism for registering 16 and 17-year-olds. It will be for the Scottish Parliament to consider and approve any proposals made by the Scottish Government.

Training

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what media or public speaking training Ministers in his Department have received since May 2010.

David Mundell: None.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Assisted Areas

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment she has made of the benefits of assisted area status for Northern Ireland.

Theresa Villiers: I have corresponded with the Northern Ireland Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment on assisted area status, and I am due to meet her later this week when we shall discuss it. Economic development is a devolved matter and the new regional area guidelines for the assisted area status are a matter for the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable). The Government have stated that when consulting on the new assisted area map, we will need to take account of factors particular to Northern Ireland and will work with the European Commission, along with other member states, to ensure that the new RAG allows appropriate flexibility.

HMS Caroline

Stephen Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the current status is of HMS Caroline.

Michael Penning: I welcome the announcement made on 11 October that HMS Caroline is to remain in Belfast. Further details are set out in the press statement made by the Northern Ireland Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment at:
	http://www.northernireland.gov.uk/index/media-centre/news-departments/news-deti/news-deti-111012-hms-caroline-to.htm.

Research

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much her Department spent on research and development in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10, (c) 2010-11 and (d) 2011-12; and how much she plans to spend in (i) 2012-13, (ii) 2013-14 and (iii) 2014-15.

Michael Penning: Comparable figures for the Department as it is now configured are not available following the completion of devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010.
	Since 12 April 2010, the Northern Ireland Office has spent nothing on research and development. The Department does not plan to spend anything on research and development in years (i) 2012-13, (ii) 2013-14 or (iii) 2014-15.

Welfare Reform Act 2012

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions she has had with the (a) Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on introducing flexibilities for (i) benefit payment intervals, (ii) arrangements for housing benefit paid directly to landlords and (iii) those with mental health conditions in relation to the implementation of the Welfare Reform Act 2012 in Northern Ireland.

Michael Penning: Welfare reform will bring many benefits including a simpler benefits system that always rewards work and protects the most vulnerable as well as being fairer to both the claimant and the taxpayer. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chipping Barnet (Mrs Villiers), spoke most recently about these and other matters to the Minister for Welfare Reform, my noble Friend, Lord Freud, on 15 October.

TREASURY

Bank Services

Annette Brooke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 6 September 2012, Official Report, column 372, on SMEs, when he expects the Financial Services Authority to publish its recommendations on the requirements for a banking licence.

Greg Clark: The Government published a white paper on Banking Reform in June 2012. That paper announced that the Financial Services Authority (FSA) and the Bank of England are conducting reviews of the prudential and conduct requirements for new entrants to the banking sector. The reviews will reassess the prudential requirements of the new Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and the conduct requirements of the new Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to ensure that they are proportionate and do not pose excessive barriers to entry or expansion for new entrants and prospective new entrants to the banking market.
	The conclusions of the reviews are due to be published in the autumn. Where possible, the FSA and the Bank of England have committed to introduce these changes in advance of the new regulatory structure.

British Business Bank

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether the proposed British Business Bank will be able to borrow its own financial resources and direct these to small and medium-sized businesses;
	(2)  what level of (a) public and (b) private funding or capital will be provided to the proposed British Business Bank in each of the next three financial years;
	(3)  whether the proposed British Business Bank will be permitted to lend directly to businesses.

Greg Clark: The Government intends to allocate up to £1 billion of public capital to the business bank. The bank will work through intermediaries and leverage additional private sector capital to help stimulate and diversify the markets for long-term capital for growing businesses. The Government will set out further details later this autumn.

Business: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made on the effect of the Funding for Lending Scheme on (a) small and medium-sized enterprises and (b) mortgages in Peterborough constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Clark: The Funding for Lending scheme provides strong incentives to banks to make loans cheaper and more easily available to households and non-financial businesses across the UK. Participating banks have already introduced a number of new and cheaper mortgage and SME loan products linked to the scheme.

Children: Maintenance

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps are taken by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to carry out an investigation into tax and maintenance evasion, where an application for child maintenance demonstrates that a non-resident parent has failed to declare their full taxable income to HMRC.

David Gauke: The functions of the former Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission have been assumed by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). Section 127(4)(a) of the Welfare Reform Act 2012 provides a legal gateway for information sharing between DWP and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), including on matters relating to child maintenance.
	HMRC and DWP have introduced an integrated approach to tackling fraud and error. This strategy was published in October 2010 in “Tackling fraud and error in the benefit and tax credits systems”. This includes joint intelligence, investigations and prosecutions. The document can be found at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/tackling-fraud-and-error.pdf
	HMRC considers all information supplied to it on matters relating to suspected error and fraud and deploys a risk based approach to all its compliance interventions, focusing its resources on the highest tax risks and targeted interventions to reduce the scope for all forms of evasion regardless of where it occurs.

Taxation: Community Interest Companies

David Ward: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider reforming the tax treatment of community interest companies (CICs) to change the tax treatment of CIC directors relative to directors of limited companies in respect of their inability to pay dividends.

David Gauke: The Government has no plans to change the tax treatment of directors of community interest companies; such individuals are subject to the same tax and National Insurance rules as directors of other limited companies.
	A community interest company limited by shares may pay dividends to shareholders, including private investors e.g. directors. However, the payment of a dividend to a private investor is subject to a dividend cap. The dividend cap does not apply to dividends paid to certain asset-locked bodies. This ensures the assets and profits are retained within the community interest company for community purposes, or transferred to another asset-locked organisation, such as another community interest company or charity.
	Further detail can be found in chapter six of the guidance available on the community interest company regulator's website:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/cicregulator/guidance

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Human Trafficking

Peter Bone: To ask the Attorney-General how many people have been (a) prosecuted for and (b) convicted of human trafficking or associated offences where the type of exploitation was forced cultivation of cannabis.

Oliver Heald: I am unable to provide data on the number of defendants prosecuted and convicted for trafficking into forced cannabis cultivation. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Case Management System cannot disaggregate from figures for offences of human trafficking, the nature of the exploitation. These data could be obtained only by examining all of the CPS's case files for human trafficking, which would incur disproportionate cost.

Human Trafficking

Peter Bone: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions took place for conspiracy to traffic human beings in each of the last three years; and how many such prosecutions led to convictions.

Oliver Heald: I am unable to provide data on the number of defendants prosecuted and who were convicted for conspiracy to traffic human beings. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Case Management System cannot disaggregate from figures for all offences of conspiracy under section 1 of the Criminal Law Act 1977, the specific type of offence which they conspired to commit. These data could be obtained only by examining all of the CPS's case files for conspiracy, which would incur disproportionate cost.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what plans she has to make tackling violence against women and girls a priority for the Government in its bilateral aid programme in Afghanistan; and whether this area of work will be included in her Department's next Operational Plan for that country;
	(2)  what steps the Government is taking to support the government of Afghanistan to achieve its target of recruiting 5,000 women into Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) in terms of (a) funding and (b) tackling the barriers to women's participation in ANSF such as sexual harassment;
	(3)  what steps her Department has taken to ensure the Afghan National Security Forces can respond effectively to women's security concerns, including training on the implementation of Afghanistan's End Violence Against Women law.

Justine Greening: The UK places women at the heart of its development efforts in Afghanistan as set out in the UK National Action Plan on UN Security Council Resolution 1325. We consider how to improve the lives of Afghan women and girls through all of DFID's programmes in the country and will continue to do so for the next operation plan period. The UK also regularly presses the Afghan Government to implement its national and human rights obligations, including the Elimination of Violence against Women law. With regards to the remaining two parliamentary questions (122757 and 122758), I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt), on 21 June 2012, Official Report, column 1093W.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Israel

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Israel on calls to demolish the Jahalin School in Khan Al Ahmar; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: Our ambassador to Israel and the British consul-general to Jerusalem raised the issue of demolitions in Area C with the Co-ordinator of Government Activity in the Territories earlier this month. They also flagged our concerns about the proposed demolition of the school with his officials.
	As stated in my response of 20 September to the hon. Member’s e-mail of 5 September.
	"Officials from the British Consulate General in Jerusalem attended the Israeli High Court hearing held on 13 September regarding the demolition orders of the Khan Al Ahmar school. I understand that the Israeli court did not pass judgment as the judges stated that this was a political case and the decision should be made by politicians.
	We continue to call on the Israeli Government to fulfil its commitment, as confirmed in a letter from the British Ambassador to Israel to the Deputy Israeli Foreign Minister on 23 April, to a process of dialogue with the Bedouin on Israeli plans to move the Khan Al Ahmar community, and ensure that any decision reached on the future of the Bedouin communities in Area C of the West Bank is made with their lull consent".

Sri Lanka

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made on the implementation of UN Human Rights Council Resolution 19/2; and what his objectives are for the 21st Session of the UN Human Rights Council in relation to human rights and reconciliation in Sri Lanka.

Alistair Burt: We have urged Sri Lanka to make progress in implementing the recommendations of the Human Rights Council. Sri Lanka's July 2012 action plan on implementing the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission recommendations fulfils one of the requests of the Human Rights Council. We look to Sri Lanka to implement the action plan and to address other elements of the resolution including alleged violations of international law. We continue to have concerns about human rights in Sri Lanka including political violence and intimidation of the media.
	We look forward to actively contributing to Sri Lanka's Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council (HRC) in November. In that context, the UK made clear in a statement on 17 September to the HRC that we continued to monitor developments in Sri Lanka and looked forward to a highly anticipated visit to the country by the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
	The Prime Minister emphasised the need for accountability and reconciliation most recently in a short discussion with President Rajapaksa at the Commonwealth Secretary-General's lunch on 6 June. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), made the same points when he met the Sri Lankan Minister for External Affairs on 6 June.

UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from which budget his recent £1 million pledge to support the Office of the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict will be drawn.

Mark Simmonds: The £1 million pledge to support the Office of the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative on Sexual Violence will be drawn from Conflict Pool Resources, specifically the Strengthening Alliances and Partnerships Programme.

World War II: Medals

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans his Department has to issue medals to those who served in the (a) Political Warfare Executive and (b) Political Intelligence Department in North Africa, Italy, Palestine and Yugoslavia between 1943 and 1946.

Mark Simmonds: There are no plans to issue a new medal to those who served in these two Departments. While we support the principle of recognition for those who served Britain so well during world war two and since, the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals could not single out particular groups so far after the events took place and where most of the records no longer exist.
	Where claimants can prove relevant service that qualified for existing medals through eligibility and service history, then late claims can still be made to, and medals issued by, the MOD Historic Branch.

EDUCATION

GCSE

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what discussions (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have had with officials at Ofqual about the recent decisions by examination boards to change GCSE grade boundaries in respect of (i) the fairness to pupils and (ii) the potential effect on stability in the secondary education system of those decisions; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: Standards and grade boundaries in qualifications are a matter for Ofqual as the independent regulator in England. Ministers and officials are not involved in discussions relating to the setting of grade boundaries in advance of the publication of results.
	The Chief Regulator wrote to the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), on 22 August advising him of the Regulator's approach to ensuring that GCSE grades are correct. Officials of the Department for Education have regular meetings with Ofqual and were, in the run-up to the publication of GCSE results on 23 August, informed by Ofqual about the approach to GCSE awarding in 2012.
	Ofqual published its initial report into the grading of GCSE English in 2012 on 31 August. The report and Ofqual's letter of 22 August are available on Ofqual's website at:
	http://www.ofqual.gov.uk/news-and-announcements/130-news-and-announcements-press-releases/972-ofqual-report-on-gcse-english-results-finds-january-assessments-were-graded-generously

GCSE: Brighton

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will estimate the number of pupils in the Brighton and Hove local authority area who have been affected by recent decisions by examination boards to change GCSE grade boundaries; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education does not hold information relating to the marks awarded to individual GCSE candidates.

Higher Education: Admissions

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  when he plans to reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Camberwell and Peckham of 17 July 2012;
	(2)  when the Government intends to respond to the Hughes Report;
	(3)  how many discussions he has had with the Government's Advocate for Access to Higher Education about the recommendations made in the Hughes Report; and what the subject of each of those discussions was.

Matthew Hancock: The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), replied to the right hon. Member's letter earlier this month. The Government welcomed the report of the Government's Advocate for Access to Education published on 21 July 2011 and the issues it raised were considered by the Government at the time and during the passage of the Education Act 2011. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), the lead Department on Higher Education, incorporated a response to the recommendations in the Hughes Report on Higher Education in its publication “Government response to ‘Students at the heart of the system’ and ‘A new regulatory framework for the higher education sector’”, published in June 2012. The Secretary of State met the Government's Advocate for Access to Education to discuss his work before the report was published. The then Minister of State for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning, my hon. Friend the Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Mr Hayes), who was a Minister in both BIS and the Department for Education, has met the Government's Advocate for Access to Education since the publication of his report.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Emissions

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has discussed including international aviation and shipping emissions in carbon budgets as recommended by the Committee on Climate Change with (a) the Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) the Secretary of State for Transport.

Gregory Barker: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), has regular discussions with his Cabinet colleagues on a variety of issues, and will continue to engage closely with them before any decision is taken on this matter. Department of Energy and Climate Change officials are in regular contact with their opposite numbers in other Government Departments on this issue, as well as with the Committee on Climate Change, ahead of the statutory deadline set out at section 30 of the Climate Change Act (2008).

Centre for Sustainable Energy

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which contracts have been assigned by his Department to the Centre for Sustainable Energy in the last five years; and what the value was of each such contract.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change has let the following contracts to the Centre for Sustainable Energy in the last five years. The values shown are the total sums spent under each contract.
	
		
			 Contract title Value (£) 
			 Planning contract 2008-09 238,434.00 
			 CSE planning communications programme activity for FY 2008-09 96,156.22 
			 CSE planning communications programme activity for FY 2009-10 368,625.81 
			 Energy Demand Research Project Database Validation and Adaptation 13,150.00 
			 National Heat Map 147,909.93 
			 Preparation of Dataset for Energy Demand Research Project 4,710.00 
			 Research carried out on behalf of the Hills review 1,000.00 
			 Work carried out on the Distribution Impacts Model for Policy Scenario Analysis upgrade 42,025.00 
			 Total 912,010.96

Combined Heat and Power

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has to encourage refineries to generate their own electricity using combined heat and power once levy exemption certificates are removed and carbon price support rates introduced in 2013.

Gregory Barker: All but two of the UK's refineries already operate large CHP schemes, although there is potential to increase their capacity, increasing the quantity of electricity they export to the grid.
	Regarding support for fossil fuel fired combined heat and power following the withdrawal of Levy Exemption certificates in April 2013, I refer the Member to the answers I gave to the hon. Member for Sedgefield (Phil Wilson) on 15 October 2012, Official Report, column 130W.
	In respect of carbon price support rates Budget 2012 confirmed that CHP would be exempt from carbon price support costs in respect of heat output. This ensures CHP is not disadvantaged relative to other forms of electricity generation from fossil fuels.

Electricity Generation

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of total electricity generation capacity within the UK; and what estimate he has made of such capacity in 2015.

John Hayes: Projections of electricity generation capacity within the UK are published in DECC's Energy and Emission Projections, which was most recently updated on 15 October 2012:
	www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/about/ec_social_res/analytic_projs/en_emis_projs/en_emis_projs.aspx
	Electricity generation capacity projections are provided in Annex J: Total Capacity where on the central scenario capacity is projected to be 98.6 GW in 2012 and 98.2 GW in 2015.

Energy Distribution

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the annual cost of energy distribution to consumers.

Gregory Barker: The Department has not estimated the annual cost of energy distribution to consumers but Ofgem does publish a document explaining Household Energy Bills available at:
	http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Media/FactSheets/Documents1/household-bills.pdf
	In the latest publication, May 2012, electricity distribution accounted for approximately 18% of the average annual household electricity bill (£470) which amounted to £84.60. Gas distribution accounted for approximately 19% of the average annual household gas bill (£704) which amounted to £133.76.

Energy: Profits

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the level of annual profits reported by energy distribution firms.

Gregory Barker: Costs and revenues of the regulated activities of energy distribution companies are a matter for the independent regulator Ofgem.

Exhaust Emissions: Shipping

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the merits of introducing a carbon price on international shipping; whether such a proposal will be discussed at the forthcoming UN climate change conference; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The Government recognises the importance of addressing greenhouse gas emissions from shipping. Our view is that the first best approach would be the application of a global Emissions Trading System agreed through the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). Such a measure would establish a carbon price for the shipping sector, and this would help to drive improvements in energy efficiency and investment in new low carbon technologies—building on the IMO agreement in 2011 of an Energy Efficiency Design Index for new ships. The UK will continue to play an active role in the IMO's ongoing work on technical, operational and market based measures to reduce emissions on a global basis.
	With regard to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meeting in Doha, we are working with other parties to explore whether it will be possible for the UNFCCC to send a clear signal to the IMO on the need for swift progress towards a global agreement in line with our overall goal of limiting global warming to below 2 degrees.

Green Deal Scheme

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to paragraph 149 of the impact assessment for the Green Deal and energy company obligation, what steps his Department are taking to ensure that all households are able to receive such measures.

Gregory Barker: The Government recognises that households who receive energy efficiency measures will see their thermal efficiency improve and their risk of fuel poverty reduced. The Government has in place a number of policies to help households access measures, including the current CERT and CESP obligations, the Warm Front scheme in England, and the new Green Deal and energy company obligation (ECO).
	The ECO will require energy companies to deliver assistance worth around £540 million per annum to low income households and those living in low income areas.
	In order to help households find out more about the offers that are available to them under schemes such as the Green Deal and ECO, the Department has launched the Energy Saving Advice Service which consumers can contact on 0300 123 1234. We are also putting in place a system to ensure that, where eligible low income and vulnerable households contact the advice line, they can be referred directly to the energy companies responsible for delivering ECO for support.

Green Deal Scheme

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many Green Deal (a) providers, (b) assessors and (c) installers have been approved since the inception of the scheme.

Gregory Barker: The Green Deal Oversight and Registration Body reported that by close of play on 12 October (a) two Green Deal provider organisations had completed registration; (b) nine separate Green Deal assessor organisations were on the register; and (c) 166 separate Green Deal installer organisations had been registered (184 including regional offices).

Low Carbon Networks Fund

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the benefits of the Low Carbon Networks Fund.

Gregory Barker: The Low Carbon Networks Fund is encouraging innovation on the electricity distribution networks to assist the UK's transition to the low carbon economy. The Fund is providing backing for a series of leading-edge projects aimed at developing crucial knowledge and expertise which can be shared across the industry—helping to improve performance while curbing costs. The projects underway are not yet completed but the terms of the funding require wide dissemination of the learning generated including through an annual public event to report on progress made and lessons learnt.

Low Carbon Networks Fund

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the total value of the Low Carbon Networks Fund is.

Gregory Barker: The Low Carbon Networks Fund has made available up to £500 million over the period 2010-15.

Natural Gas

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the potential size of domestic UK shale gas reserves; and if he will make a statement.

John Hayes: A British Geological Survey study in 2010 estimated that if UK shales were similar to those in the USA they could yield some 150 billion cubic metres of gas, equivalent to roughly two years of UK demand.
	The BGS has been undertaking more detailed work which also takes into account last year's drilling results of Cuadrilla in Lancashire. BGS expect to be able to publish revised estimates of the resource, that is, the amount of gas in the rocks, towards the end of the year.
	However, little drilling has taken place and commercial potential of shale gas has not been quantified , so it is not yet possible to make a reliable estimate of recoverable reserves, that is, the amount of gas which might be economically producible from the resource.

Natural Gas

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the potential size of domestic UK coal bed methane reserves; and if he will make a statement.

John Hayes: DECC commissioned a BGS study in 2010 which estimated that the UK total coal bed methane (CBM) resource (or hydrocarbons in place) is large—about 2,900 billion cubic metres, based on identifying coal resources that are thick enough, with gas content >lm3/tonne, away from worked coalmine seams, aquifers and coal mine methane recovery:
	http://og.decc.gov.uk/media/viewfile.ashx?filetype=4&filepath=og/ep/onshore/Promote_UK_CBM.pdf
	But the presence of a CBM resource does not imply that the geotechnical conditions required to establish significant gas flow (e.g. permeability in the coal seams) exist nor that the resource can be recovered economically.
	Estimation of reserves will depend on proving commerciality. There are two pilot CBM fields producing methane gas in the UK, Potteries and Doe Green, which have yet to prove commerciality. However, the Airth CBM field, in Scotland has seen significant, investment and there are plans for a full-scale development which are currently under review.

Nottinghamshire

Mark Spencer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what ministerial visits to (a) the City of Nottingham and (b) Nottinghamshire have taken place since May 2010.

Gregory Barker: The former Minister of Energy, my hon. Friend the Member for Wealden (Charles Hendry), visited Nottingham university on 6 March 2012.

Nuclear Power

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he expects an announcement from Horizon Nuclear Power on the future of its nuclear programme in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

John Hayes: The sale of Horizon Nuclear Power is a commercial process which is being led by the current owners and their sales advisers Nomura. Therefore, it would be inappropriate to comment on the outcome of the process before the sales process has reached a conclusion.

Renewable Energy: Infrastructure

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what the five most costly renewable energy infrastructure projects in the UK are which are (a) being planned and (b) under construction;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the five largest investors in UK renewable energy infrastructure projects in terms of financial investment (a) committed to in each of the last five years and (b) planned in each of the next five years.

Gregory Barker: The Department does not hold details on the financial value of all renewable investments made or planned in the UK, and details of forward investment plans are in many cases commercially sensitive and not made public by investors.
	The Renewable Energy Planning Database, developed by my Department, is based on a monitoring programme that collects information from local planning authorities and renewable energy developers on the status of all renewable energy projects at each stage of the planning process—from intended applications and planning submissions through to construction and commissioning. Details on key planning and environmental issues are also recorded. Details are available at:
	https://restats.decc.gov.uk/cms/planning-database/
	Online interactive maps are available that show the progress of projects through the planning system, and an extract (in spreadsheet form) from the planning database, together with a progress datasheet, is made available each month.
	The database does not, generally, include details of the cost of projects—however the report "Review of the generation costs and deployment potential of renewable electricity technologies in the UK”, available to download free of charge on the DECC website at
	www.decc.gov.uk
	provides indicative costs for various renewable energy technologies.

Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme

Sarah Newton: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he plans to publish the data used to calculate the different tariffs for the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: DECC calculates RHI tariffs using a range of data on capital costs, operating costs, performance, fuel prices, barrier costs and usage estimates for a range of sizes, applications and building types.
	The data used for existing tariffs is summarized in publications on DECC's website
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/meeting_energy/renewable_ener/incentive/documents/documents.aspx
	particularly in the Analytical Annex and the AEA 2010 RHI Evidence Base Update.
	For tariffs currently being consulted on, all data is published in full on the relevant consultation pages, where there are accompanying spreadsheets:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/meeting_energy/Renewable_ener/incentive/incentive.aspx
	DECC is updating data on costs and performance of Renewable Heat technologies and this dataset will result in a published report of DECC's new assumptions and be used when the RHI policy, currently being consulted upon, is finalised.

Warm Home Discount Scheme

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will take steps to provide the Warm Home Discount to the poorest families with children under five years old.

Gregory Barker: Warm Home Discount Scheme Broader Group schemes offered by participating suppliers include an offer for groups such as low income families and those with long-term illnesses and disabilities. All six participating suppliers (British Gas, EDF, Eon, Npower, Scottish Power and SSE) have eligibility criteria in their Broader Schemes targeted at low income families with children under five.
	Suppliers provided a total of 234,297 Broader Group rebates worth £120 each, equating to £28.1 million of support in 2011-12. We expect at least 364,000 households to benefit from the Broader Group in 2012-13, receiving rebates £130.

CABINET OFFICE

Average Earnings: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average median weekly earnings were before tax for employees (a) aged 50-64, (b) over 65 and (c) of all ages in Peterborough constituency in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated September 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the average median weekly earnings were before tax for employees (a) aged 50-64, (b) over 65 and (c) of all ages in Peterborough constituency in each year since 2001. (121757)
	Average levels of earnings are estimated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), and are provided for all employees on adult rates of pay whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence. The ASHE, carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom.
	The following table shows the median gross weekly earnings for all, full-time and part-time jobs for employees aged 50-64 and of all ages in Peterborough constituency for April of each year from 2001 until 2011, the latest period for which figures are available. There are no reliable estimates available for those employees aged 65 and over.
	
		
			 Median gross weekly earnings (£)—for all, full-time and part-time employee jobs (1) ,  employees aged 50-64 and of all ages for 2001 to 2011 
			 Peterborough constituency 
			     50-64 
			  All Full-time Part-time All Full-time Part-time 
			 2001 *302.4 *349.6 **107.1 **304.1 **363.0 x 
			 2002 *311.1 *369.4 **96.3 **283.8 **404.8 x 
			 2003 *347.2 403.0 x **339.1 **455.2 x 
			 2004(2) *368.2 424.4 **128.0 **397.8 *466.0 x 
			 2004(3) *346.4 *390.4 **124.6 **355.5 *452.7 x 
			 2005 *357.5 401.6 *152.9 **363.3 **434.6 x 
			 2006(4) 385.2 439.8 **138.0 *413.5 *468.2 x 
			 2006(5) 381.6 438.3 **135.5 *405.4 *468.3 x 
			 2007 *400.0 *445.6 **147.2 *438.0 *461.1 x 
			 2008 *376.1 447.5 **147.4 *429.4 *460.1 x 
			 2009 400.8 *463.4 **165.0 *413.0 *476.8 x 
			 2010 399.0 486.7 *164.9 *419.4 *500.2 x 
			 2011(6) 415.1 467.8 *170.9 *424.5 *484.5 x 
			 2011(7) 412.8 464.7 *165.7 *424.2 *479.9 x 
			 (1) Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence. (2) 2004 results excluding supplementary survey for comparison with 2003. (3) 2004 results including supplementary survey designed to improve coverage of the survey website. For more information see National Statistics website at: www.statistics.gov.uk (4 )2006 results with methodology consistent with 2005. (5) 2006 results with methodology consistent with 2007. (6) 2011 results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2000. (7) 2011 results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2010. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of a figure, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an average of 200 with a CV of 5%, we would expect the population average to be within the range 180 to 220. Key: CV =5% * CV >5% and =10% ** CV >10% and =20% x unreliable CV = Coefficient of Variation Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Office for National Statistics.

Civil Servants

Richard Fuller: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many civil servants of each grade from 1 to 7 there are in each Government Department;
	(2)  how many civil servants of each grade from 1 to 7 working in each Government department were recruited (a) since June 2007, (b) since June 2002, (c) since June 1997, (d) since June 1992 and (e) before June 1992.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions concerning:
	1) how many civil servants of each grade from one to seven there are in each Government Department (121805)
	2) how many civil servants of each grade from 1 to 7 working in each Government department were recruited (a) since June 2007, (b) since June 2002, (c) since June 1997, (d) since June 1992 and (e) before June 1992. (121815)
	Data are collected on the number of Civil Servants on an annual basis. The latest available data is for March 2011.
	The data for the number of Civil Servants in Grades 6 and 7 by department and how many were recruited (a) since June 2007, (b) since June 2002, (c) since June 1997, (d) since June 1992 and (e) before June 1992 are in have been included in the tables.
	Data for Grades 1 to 5, Senior Civil Servant Grades, is available on the ONS ACSES database. However, to provide this information would incur a disproportionate cost.
	The tables will be placed in the library of the house.

Employment: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the net change in private sector jobs was in (a) Wales and (b) Vale of Clwyd constituency from May 2010 to the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated September 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what the net change in private sector jobs was in (a) Wales and (b) Vale of Clwyd from May 2010 to the latest period for which figures are available. (121227)
	Unfortunately, estimates of private sector jobs are not available. As an alternative, we have provided Table 1, which presents net change in private sector employment in Wales from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). This also includes returns from public sector organisations between June 2010 and June 2012, which is the latest available period. Estimates for May 2010 are not available as public sector returns are collected quarterly (March, June, September and December).
	As data from the LFS and returns from public sector organisations are only available at regional level. Table 2 provides the net changes in private sector employment from the Annual Population Survey (APS) in Wales and Vale of Clwyd constituency, between the 12 month periods ending in December 2010 and March 2012, which is the latest available period.
	Individuals in the APS are classified to the public or private sector according to their responses to the survey.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS and the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. A guide to the quality of the APS estimates is given in Table 2.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Table 1: Net change in private sector employment between June 2010 and June 20121 
			 Thousand 
			  Private sector employment  
			  June 2010 June 2012 Net change 
			 Wales 947 978 32 
			 (1) Estimated as the difference between LFS total employment and the data from public sector organisations. Source: Labour Force Survey and returns from public sector organisations 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Net change in private sector employment between the 12 month periods ending December 2010 and March 2012 
			    Thousand 
			  Private sector employment 12 months ending:  
			  December 2010 March 2012 Net change 
			     
			 Wales 881 *905 24 
			 Vale of Clwyd 20 **22 2 
			 Note: Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality: Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV - for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5% we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220. Key: * 0 = CV<5%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered precise ** 5 = CV <10%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 = CV <20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV ? 20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes Source: Annual Population Survey

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Lobbying

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he plans to publish a response to the public consultation on introducing a statutory register of lobbyists document; and when he plans to publish a White Paper outlining its proposals for a new draft Bill.

Chloe Smith: The consultation document “Introducing a Statutory Register of Lobbyists” was published to gather evidence from experts in the field and members of the public. It asked a number of specific questions, the answers to which are helping inform the policy on lobbying reform. The consultation closed on 20 April 2012 and we published a summary of responses on 16 July. The Government is pursuing this agenda and following our consultation we will take stock.

TRANSPORT

Apprentices

Michael Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many apprentices working in his Department are (a) paid and (b) completing a qualification as part of the apprenticeship;
	(2)  how many (a) paid apprentices and/or (b) paid interns are employed in his Department.

Norman Baker: There are currently 281 paid apprentices and no paid interns in the Department for Transport and its six executive agencies. All apprentices are completing a qualification as part of their apprenticeship.

Aviation: Musicians

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will support the Association of British Orchestras and the Musicians' Union in their representations to the European Commission's Department for Transport to secure legislative change that would enshrine the right of musicians to travel with their instrument in the aircraft cabin.

Simon Burns: The size and amount of cabin or hold baggage that a passenger is permitted to take on board a commercial aircraft is a matter for airlines to decide as private commercial companies. The Department for Transport has no plans to introduce legislation on this issue, but will engage fully with any future proposals from the Commission.

Heathrow Airport

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on (a) retaining runway alternation and (b) the introduction of mixed mode operation at Heathrow.

Simon Burns: As stated in a written ministerial statement on 7 September 2010, Official Report, columns 13-14WS, the coalition Government remains committed to runway alternation at Heathrow airport and will not be reviving the plans for mixed mode considered by our predecessors.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will assess the effect of locating the London terminus of High Speed 2 at (a) Euston and (b) Old Oak Common on (i) journey times and convenience for (1) HS2 and (2) underground and overground passengers, (ii) the cost of stations and connections, (iii) the cost of the HS2 link, (iv) housing, (v) noise levels, (vi) air pollution, (vii) loss of open public space and (viii) regeneration; if he will take steps to ensure that all affected London boroughs are consulted; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: An assessment was carried out during the initial design stage when considering the optimal site for stations. This was published in March 2010 and can be found at:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110202231927/http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/pi/highspeedrail/hs2ltd/hs2report/
	Chapter 3 is relevant to journey times, underground and overground passengers and cost of stations. The Appraisal of Sustainability for HS2 made an assessment of the impact on housing, noise, air pollution, open public space and regeneration and this is available at:
	www.dft.gov.uk/aos
	Building on the Appraisal of Sustainability, a further assessment will be made as part of the environmental impact assessment process which I expect to consult upon in spring 2013.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy that his Department should undertake a comprehensive re-examination of the business case for HS2.

Simon Burns: The Government is committed to HS2 as the best way to provide the essential extra capacity that is required on our railways, and there are no plans to re-examine the business case for the project. We expect to publish the next update to the Economic Case in time for consultation on the Phase 2 preferred route and consideration of the Hybrid Bill for London-West Midlands. We expect to deposit the Hybrid Bill by the end of 2013 and are currently exploring options for bringing forward the Phase 2 consultation from 2014 to 2013.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which responses to the HS2 consultation were not taken into account by HS2 Ltd's contractor Dialogue by Design, by constituency.

Simon Burns: The Department does not hold this information—Dialogue by Design did not analyse responses by constituency.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how individuals and organisations that responded to the HS2 consultations can check that their contributions have been registered and included in the analysis of the consultations.

Simon Burns: The consultation responses website allows universal access to view the organisation responses listed in Appendix 2 of the Consultation Summary Report, the Appendices of the Addendum reports and the response forms from members of the public and local/regional businesses that were not marked as ‘confidential’. Names have been redacted from the individual responses and are listed by a Respondent ID number.
	Individuals who wish to know their Respondent ID number and any individuals or organisation that marked their response as ‘confidential’ may also check their response was registered and included in the analysis by contacting HS2 Ltd on 020 7944 4908 or by emailing to:
	HS2enquiries@hs2.org.uk
	Those who submitted responses affected by the statements on 17 July and 18 September have been contacted.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department will use a full Ecosystems Service Approach for the next version of the Economic Case for High Speed 2.

Simon Burns: The Department updates its appraisal guidance on an annual basis, taking into account the latest evidence where possible. The Department plans to release updated appraisal guidance, which will be subject to extensive consultation, in early 2013.
	We are currently working with DEFRA in order to agree which aspects of the Ecosystems Services Assessment approach can be incorporated immediately, and which areas need further development before they can be used within transport appraisal guidance. The results of this exercise will inform the next update to the economic case for HS2 in time to support the deposit of the Hybrid Bill for Phase 1 of HS2 by December 2013.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when his Department will publish an update to the Economic Case for High Speed 2.

Simon Burns: We expect to publish the next update to the Economic Case in time for consultation on the Phase 2 preferred route and consideration of the Hybrid Bill for London-West Midlands. We expect to deposit the Hybrid Bill by the end of 2013 and are currently exploring options for bringing forward the Phase 2 consultation from 2014 to 2013.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if his Department will ensure that the evaluation by High Speed 2 engineers of the proposals for a full tunnel under the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty proceeds without delay and that the resulting feedback is given to interested parties before the end of November 2012.

Simon Burns: An option for a full tunnel under the Chilterns was considered in detail by HS2 Ltd engineers and the then Secretary of State before the decision to proceed with HS2 was taken in January 2012. A HS2 Ltd report entitled ‘Options for additional tunnelling through the Chilterns’ was published in January 2012 and is available at:
	http://www.hs2.org.uk/assets/x/85362

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the current date for the estimated completion of the environmental impact assessment for High Speed 2 London to Birmingham route is.

Simon Burns: The environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the HS2 route section between London and the West Midlands is currently under way. HS2 Ltd will undertake a public consultation on a draft Environmental Statement based on EIA data in spring 2013. The revised Environmental Statement for HS2 will then be submitted to Parliament alongside the hybrid Bill towards the end of 2013.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the delayed compensation consultation document will be issued by his Department.

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to announce details of the consultation on compensation measures for Phase 1 of High Speed 2.

Simon Burns: We will launch linked consultations on property and compensation, and on safeguarding for HS2 as soon as possible.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Heathrow Airport

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to adapt the route of High Speed 2 if the Department's Inquiry on Aviation recommends an enhancement of landing and take-off capability at London Heathrow; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: There are no plans to rethink the route for HS2 decided on in January. Clearly in due course we will need to consider whether the views of the Airports Commission have any implications for our high speed rail strategy. But I do not expect any delay to be caused to the project or for the progress of the hybrid Bill to be affected.

Railways: Fares

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the three per cent above RPI increase in regulated rail fares.

Simon Burns: The Secretary of State for Transport regularly discusses a range of policy issues with the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
	The Prime Minister announced on 7 October that the Government is capping the increase in the cap on average regulated rail fares at RPI + 1% in January 2013 and 2014.

Railways: Fares

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the Command Paper ‘Reforming Our Railways: Putting the Customer First’, when he expects to end above-inflation fare increases.

Simon Burns: In March this year, Government set out its plans to reduce the cost of running the railway by around 30% by 2019. Our plans can be found on the Department's website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/rail-reform
	If we can make substantial reductions to the cost of running the railways and the improvement in the wider economic situation permits, we can bring to an end the era of above inflation fare rises in average regulated fares, while continuing to expand capacity on our rail network.

Railways: North Wales

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make an estimate of the cost of upgrading the signalling on the North Wales coastal route; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: This is an operational matter for Network Rail. The Government has provided funding to Network Rail and the rail industry up to 2019 to purchase the infrastructure enhancement that best improves passenger and freight journeys in Wales and England.

Railways: North Wales

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the case for investment in infrastructure on the Conwy Valley line.

Simon Burns: The case for maintenance and renewal investment on the Conway Valley line is an operational matter for Network Rail. The Government has not identified any case for strategic enhancement investment in the line. Funding is available should the rail industry identify a worthwhile case for local passenger or freight infrastructure enhancement.

Redditch-Birmingham Railway Line

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has any plans to upgrade the Redditch to Birmingham line.

Simon Burns: The Redditch to Birmingham line is to be upgraded by 2014 by the addition of a double track section at Alvechurch to enable additional peak train services to operate between Redditch and Birmingham.

Research

Chris Kelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what external policy research his Department has commissioned in each of the last six years; from which organisation each such piece of research was commissioned; and what the cost of each such piece of research was.

Norman Baker: Research to inform policy is commissioned by all relevant policy directorates and agencies. I regret that the information requested is not held centrally and can be provided only in the form requested at disproportionate cost.
	Information on research commissioned by the Department, including details of supplier and cost, is generally reported through websites including:
	DFT(c):
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/rmd/
	HA:
	http://www.highways.gov.uk/specialist-information/knowledge-compendium/
	MCA:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/mca/mcga07-home/aboutus/mcga-aboutus-research2.htm

Thameslink Railway Line

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he is satisfied that the Thameslink rolling stock procurement process was carried out correctly.

Simon Burns: Yes. The recent announcement regarding pausing activity relates to franchising only, and so there are no implications for the procurement of the trains for Thameslink. As is normal for this type of procurement, before contract award, we continue to ensure that the Siemens proposal remains value for money.

Thameslink Railway Line

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the consultation on the combined Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchises, what estimate his Department has made of the number of passengers whose journey will be affected by the proposed end of some services entering the Thameslink core on the Wimbledon loop.

Simon Burns: The most recent passenger counts for Wimbledon Loop trains show just over 7,000 passengers arriving in central London during the weekday morning peak, and just over 10,000 all day. Around 55% of these passengers travel to destinations north of Blackfriars.

Thameslink Railway Line

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will review the Thameslink rolling stock procurement process.

Simon Burns: The recent announcement regarding pausing activity relates to franchising only, and so there are no implications for the procurement of the trains for Thameslink. As is normal for this type of procurement, before contract award, we continue to ensure that the Siemens proposal remains value for money.

Traffic Lights

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  whether his Department has carried out an analysis of the potential effects of installing environmentally-friendly LED traffic lights;
	(2)  what (a) discussions he has had with and (b) guidance he has issued to local highway authorities on installing LEDs in traffic lights.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport has not carried out any formal analysis of the effects of introducing LED traffic lights. Nor has it issued any specific guidance for highway authorities on installing them.
	LED traffic lights have been in use for some time. Procurement and installation of traffic lights is a matter for the relevant highway authority, which is free to decide what type of traffic lights to specify.

Transport: EU Action

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which transport projects in the UK contribute to the trans-European transport network.

Simon Burns: The European Union's Trans European Network—Transport (TEN-T) programme exists to support the development of the single market by providing funding for transport infrastructure projects on a set of defined networks. Theoretically any project taking place on the TEN-T network, whether carried out by the public or the private sector, contributes to its development. The Department does not maintain records of all projects that have been undertaken on the network. We do keep a list of the TEN-T awards that have been made by the Commission to UK projects; these are detailed in a table which has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

West Coast Railway Line: Franchises

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many WS Atkins staff worked on the West Coast Mainline franchise on behalf of his Department; and what the (a) grade and (b) hourly rate was of each.

Simon Burns: In total, 32 WS Atkins staff worked for the Department on the Intercity West Coast franchise competition. For reasons of commercial confidentiality, we are unable to disclose the grades of the individuals involved or the hourly rates that were charged by each individual.

West Coast Railway Line: Franchises

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many Eversheds LLP staff worked on the West Coast Mainline franchise on behalf of his Department; and what the (a) grade and (b) hourly rate was of each.

Simon Burns: In total, 15 Eversheds LLP staff worked for the Department on the Intercity West Coast franchise competition. For reasons of commercial confidentiality, we are unable to disclose the grades of the individuals involved or the hourly rates that were charged by each individual.

West Coast Railway Line: Franchises

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for how many hours work Eversheds LLP charged his Department in respect of work relating to the West Coast Mainline franchise; and at what hourly rate. [Official Report, 20 November 2012, Vol. 553, c. 3MC.]

Simon Burns: In total, Eversheds LLP charged the Department for 420 hours work relating to the Intercity West Coast franchise competition. For reasons of commercial confidentiality, we are unable to disclose the hourly rates that were charged.

West Coast Railway Line: Franchises

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for how many hours work WS Atkins charged his Department in respect of work relating to the West Coast Mainline franchise; and at what hourly rate.

Simon Burns: In total, WS Atkins charged the Department for 4,950 hours work relating to the InterCity West Coast franchise competition. For reasons of commercial confidentiality, we are unable to disclose the hourly rates that were charged.

West Coast Railway Line: Franchises

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what technical errors have been made by his Department's officials in evaluating the West Coast mainline franchise bids.

Simon Burns: Evidence of significant flaws in the Department's approach emerged while officials were undertaking very detailed evidence-gathering in preparation for legal proceedings in the High Court.
	These flaws stem from the way the level of risk in the bids was evaluated. Mistakes were made by officials in the way in which inflation and passenger numbers were taken into account, and how much money bidders were then asked to guarantee as a result.
	I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), on 15 October 2012, Official Report, columns 46-47, and the terms of reference of the Laidlaw Inquiry which have been laid in the Library of the House. The Inquiry will look into the Department's handling of the competition for the Intercity West Coast franchise and lessons to be learned. It will provide initial findings to the Secretary of State by the end of October and a final report by the end of November.

West Coast Railway Line: Franchises

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what contingency plans are in place for the West Coast Mainline to be operated by Directly Operated Railways if First Group is not in a position to take over the franchise from 9 December 2012.

Simon Burns: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), on 15 October 2012, Official Report, columns 6-8WS, that the Department for Transport is commencing negotiations with Virgin Rail Group.
	Directly Operated Railways has been undertaking prudent contingency preparations and they will continue to stand ready should they be required.

West Coast Railway Line: Franchises

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of (a) transition and (b) ongoing costs that will be incurred by Directly Operated Railways for running the West Coast Mainline before transferring services to a new operator;
	(2)  what plans are in place to (a) provide additional staff for Directly Operated Railways to operate the West Coast Mainline and (b) to cover the salary and recruitment costs of such staff;
	(3)  what expenditure his Department has incurred to develop plans for the West Coast Mainline to be operated by Directly Operated Railways, including on salaries and consultants.

Simon Burns: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), on 15 October 2012, Official Report, columns 6-8WS, that the Department for Transport is commencing negotiations with Virgin Rail Group.
	Directly Operated Railways has been undertaking prudent contingency preparations and they will continue to stand ready should they be required. We do not yet have final figures, but spend to date has been around £1 million. This includes expenditure on salaries and consultants.

West Coast Railway Line: Franchises

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of his Department's officials are involved in the planning for the West Coast Mainline to be operated by Directly Operated Railways and what their specific roles are.

Simon Burns: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), on 15 October 2012, Official Report, columns 6-8WS, that the Department for Transport is commencing negotiations with Virgin Rail Group.
	Directly Operated Railways has been undertaking prudent contingency preparations and they will continue to stand ready should they be required. The Department had a core team of five working wholly or partly on the contingency planning and they were supported, where needed, by colleagues from other areas of the Department. Work on contingency planning is necessarily wide ranging and as such roles cannot be strictly defined. Resources are being reviewed as a result of the announcement.

West Coast Railway Line: Franchises

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the civil servants involved in the West Coast Mainline franchise process had any involvement in the Thameslink rolling stock procurement.

Simon Burns: Some senior civil servants in the Department for Transport will have had some limited involvement in both the West Coast Main Line franchise process and the Thameslink rolling stock procurement process. However, the team involved in the analysis and evaluation of the Intercity West Coast procurement was a different team from that involved in the analysis and evaluation of the Thameslink rolling stock bid.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Archaelogy and Cultural Heritage

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent steps her Department has taken to involve and interest young people in (a) archaeology and (b) heritage; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: Involving and interesting young people in archaeology and heritage are key aims of the Department, of English Heritage (EH) and of the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). EH engages young people through programmes such as Discovery Visits which invite school children to explore and learn from the historic properties in English Heritage's care.
	In 2011-12 there were nearly 640,000 educational visits to EH's historic properties, collections and tailored learning activities and resources. EH also provides funding for the Council for British Archaeology's Young Archaeologists' Club, the only UK-wide club for young people up to the age of 17 interested in archaeology.
	This year EH was awarded £2.7 million by the Department for Education for the Heritage Schools Initiative that, working with the heritage sector over three years, will encourage schools to use their local heritage in delivering the curriculum.
	All projects supported by HLF deliver learning outcomes and many engage children and young people directly in activity that helps them learn about their built environment. HLF estimates that over 26,000 of its projects and more than £4.4 billion of its funding has benefited children and young people across the UK.
	2012 marks 10 years of HLF's successful Young Roots programme though which young people aged 11-25 deliver local heritage projects and learn new skills. HLF has awarded £27.5 million to over 1,300 Young Roots projects led by young people, including over £400,000 in youth-led projects specifically focussed on archaeology.
	Through the newly-formed Cultural Education Partnership Group, HLF, other lottery distributors and EH are seeking to align their strategies so as to maximize the number of high quality cultural education opportunities for children and young people in England.

Arts

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the contribution of the creative industries to local economies in each region.

Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) does not currently produce regional data for Creative Industries estimates, either for employment or for gross value added (GVA). It has, however, published regional data on creative industries for the number of enterprises (head offices) and local units (workplaces) on a consistent basis for the last three years. This can be found by clicking on the ‘Key findings and table’ documents located on the following webpage:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/publications/8682.aspx
	On the ground, economic research has not been undertaken since the abolition of the regional development agencies. However, Creative England—a national agency that invests in and supports creative ideas, talent and businesses in film, TV, games and digital media—is liaising with, for example, local enterprise partnerships, raising funds for research and doing a major research project with EC funds on creative clusters. Creative England recently partnered with Birmingham county council on a scoping of the creative sector.

Broadband

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many local authorities had had Broadband Delivery UK audits before 1 September 2012; and how many such local authorities have had those audits agreed.

Edward Vaizey: Under the terms of the BDUK grant agreement with local authorities, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport can carry out audits of projects, but to date, no audits have taken place and there are no immediate plans to audit any of the local broadband projects.

Broadband

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many local authorities have been required to have a new additional audit by Broadband Delivery UK in (a) September, (b) October and (c) November 2012.

Edward Vaizey: Under the terms of the BDUK grant agreement with local authorities, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport can carry out audits of projects, but to date, no audits have taken place and there are no immediate plans to audit any of the local broadband projects.

Broadband

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport when the next negotiations with the EU on state aid, broadband and Broadband Delivery UK will take place.

Edward Vaizey: I can confirm that it is our understanding that the Commission is on track to issue, its final decision in late October/early November which will allow projects to get under way.

Information and Communications Technology

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many IT systems which cost over £1 million and were introduced since May 2010 are in use in her Department.

Hugh Robertson: None.

Information and Communications Technology

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many IT projects have been developed for her Department since May 2010.

Hugh Robertson: Since May 2010, four IT projects have been developed by the Department.

Newspaper Licensing Agency

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the cost to her Department was of Newspaper Licensing Agency licences for scanned content for each year since 2010.

Hugh Robertson: The cost of the Newspaper Licensing Agency licence for digital press clippings to the Department, is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Cost (net) (£) 
			 2009-10 0 
			 2010-11 0 
			 2011-12 (1)49,563.44 
			 (1) These costs include media monitoring activity for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Atos Healthcare

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what correspondence he has received from any Minister in the Scottish Government on Atos Healthcare; and if he will place copies of any such correspondence in the Library.

Mark Hoban: We receive correspondence from Ministers across Great Britain on both the work capability assessment (WCA) and Atos Healthcare. We are committed to continually improving the WCA, and Ministers ongoing interest in the assessment highlights the need to build on the improvements already made.

Carer's Allowance

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what plans he has to increase the earnings threshold for carer's allowance;
	(2)  what plans he has to synchronise minimum wage rises with the earnings threshold for carer's allowance.

Mark Hoban: There are no current plans to increase the earnings threshold, or to synchronise minimum wage rises with the earnings threshold for Carer's Allowance.

Employment and Support Allowance

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on how many occasions a decision by his Department in relation to eligibility for employment and support allowance has been overturned without the claimant undertaking a formal appeal process in each month since May 2010.

Mark Hoban: The information requested is not available.

Housing Benefit

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of housing benefit claimants (a) of all ages and (b) under 26 were (i) in work and (ii) unemployed in the latest period for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: The number of claimants of housing benefit (HB) who are unemployed is not available. Information is only available for those HB claimants whose claim is passported and receive jobseeker’s allowance (income-based). The Department does collect information on those in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance from the housing benefit data source (SHBE) but to assess the completeness of recording and quality assure the figures would incur disproportionate cost.
	Such information as is available is in the following table.
	
		
			 Housing benefit recipients, non-passported and in employment, Great Britain, May 2012 
			   All non-passported Of which : I n employment Percentage of all HB recipients who are in employment 
			 All recipients 5,031,740 1,753,426 903,435 18.0 
			 Recipients aged under 26 500,290 137,542 102,347 20.5 
			 Notes: 1. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 2. Recipients are as at second Thursday of the month. 3. Case load data is rounded to the nearest 10, percentages to one decimal place. 4. SHBE is a monthly electronic scan of claimant level data direct from local authority computer systems. It replaces quarterly aggregate clerical returns. The data is available monthly from November 2008 and May 2012 is the most recent available. 5. This data refers to people receiving housing benefit not in receipt of a passported benefit and are recorded as being in employment if their local authority has recorded employment income from either the main claimant, or partner of claimant (if applicable), in calculating the housing benefit award. People receiving passported benefits who are working part-time cannot be identified and are therefore not included in this analysis. Source: Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE)

Housing Benefit: Young People

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make an assessment of the potential effects of the withdrawal of housing benefit from those aged under 25 years on levels of (a) homelessness and (b) poverty in each of the next four financial years.

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what his policy is on the removal of housing benefit for people aged under 26 years;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with (a) the Social Development Minister in Northern Ireland and (b) the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on future changes to the age of eligibility for housing benefit;

Steve Webb: Current Government policy does not include withdrawing housing support from people aged under 25.

Jobcentre Plus

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints have been made by users of Jobcentre Plus against staff in the last five years by (a) region and (b) Jobcentre Plus office.

Mark Hoban: The information requested is provided in the following tables:
	
		
			 Jobcentre Plus Customer Complaints Level 1 and  2— 2008-09 to 2010-11 
			 Complaints category: Helpfulness / courtesy of staff 
			   Regions: 
			  National East Midlands East of England London North East North West 
			 2008-09 4,430 145 234 801 163 369 
			 2009-10 5,149 161 340 839 223 365 
			 2010-11 7,616 226 360 1,257 332 514 
		
	
	
		
			 Complaints category: Helpfulness/courtesy of staff 
			   Regions: 
			  National Scotland South East South West Wales West Midlands Yorks and Humber 
			 2008-09 4,430 438 479 392 311 437 348 
			 2009-10 5,149 429 527 365 272 578 373 
			 2010-11 7,616 965 521 391 225 666 389 
		
	
	
		
			 Jobcentre Plus Customer Complaints Level 1 and  2— 2011-12 to date 
			 Complaints category: DWP staff do not treat me with respect 
			   Groups: 
			  National Central England London and Home Counties Southern England North West North Eastern England Wales Scotland 
			 2011-12 7,344 1,287 2,000 873 670 763 250 1,105 
			 2011-13 to date 6,416 649 1,106 753 2,210 494 137 563 
		
	
	The tables show a breakdown of complaints made about Jobcentre Plus staff in the last five years. From 2008-2009 to 2010-11 the breakdown is provided by region. Following the introduction of a new complaints handling process, the data from 2011-12 are now recorded at group level. Office level data are not available as returns are made by JCP districts. DWP have eight standard complaint categories. In 2011-12 JCP aligned with these categories, so while the complaints from 2008-09 to 2010-11 are recorded as complaints about the Helpfulness/Courtesy of staff, the complaints from 2011-12 to date are recorded under the category ‘DWP staff do not treat me with respect’.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department has taken to ensure that people can continue to receive jobseeker's allowance while waiting for Criminal Records Bureau clearance to take up a new job.

Mark Hoban: Jobseeker's allowance is payable whenever a claimant is available for and actively seeking work.
	It is possible for a person to restrict the type of work they are willing to take as long as they can show they still have a reasonable chance of finding work within this restriction, for example, a jobseeker might wish to restrict their availability to temporary jobs until the Criminal Records Bureau check has been completed.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people aged 50 and over were claiming jobseeker's allowance in Peterborough constituency in each quarter since 2001; what proportion of the working population such people represented; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: The information on jobseeker's allowance claimants aged 50 and over in Peterborough parliamentary constituency as a percentage of the working age population for each quarter: February 2001 to August 2012 is as follows:
	
		
			  Claimants aged 50 and over Claimants as percentage of working age population (%) 
			 February 2001 210 0.4 
			 May 2001 195 0.3 
			 August 2001 200 0.3 
			 November 2001 180 0.3 
			 February 2002 185 0.3 
			 May 2002 185 0.3 
			 August 2002 185 0.3 
			 November 2002 175 0.3 
			 February 2003 175 0.3 
			 May 2003 170 0.3 
			 August 2003 175 0.3 
			 November 2003 155 0.3 
			 February 2004 190 0.3 
			 May 2004 195 0.3 
			 August 2004 215 0.4 
			 November 2004 205 0.3 
			 February 2005 240 0.4 
			 May 2005 265 0.4 
			 August 2005 245 0.4 
			 November 2005 240 0.4 
			 February 2006 265 0.4 
			 May 2006 310 0.5 
			 August 2006 255 0.4 
			 November 2006 290 0.4 
			 February 2007 335 0.5 
			 May 2007 320 0.5 
			 August 2007 310 0.5 
			 November 2007 280 0.4 
			 February 2008 280 0.4 
			 May 2008 245 0.4 
			 August 2008 265 0.4 
			 November 2008 315 0.5 
			 February 2009 480 0.7 
			 May 2009 575 0.8 
			 August 2009 575 0.8 
			 November 2009 590 0.9 
			 February 2010 580 0.8 
			 May 2010 550 0.8 
			 August 2010 490 0.7 
			 November 2010 465 0.7 
			 February 2011 520 0.8 
			 May 2011 510 0.7 
			 August 2011 550 0.8 
			 November 2011 540 0.8 
			 February 2012 630 0.9 
			 May 2012 630 0.9 
			 August 2012 635 0.9 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are computer held cases only. 2. Claimant figures are rounded to the nearest 5, percentages to one decimal place. 3. Percentages are calculated using working age ONS Mid-Term population estimates and include females aged 16 to 59 and males aged 16 to 64 from the relevant parliamentary constituency. 4. Caseload data is published at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/Default.asp Source: 100% Count of unemployment-related benefits, Jobcentre Plus computer systems ONS Mid Term population estimates 2001 to 2010

Poverty: Children

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children were living in poverty in Scotland in each of the last 10 years.

Esther McVey: Estimates of the number and proportion of children living in poverty in the United Kingdom are published in the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series. Estimates specifically for Scotland are published in the Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland series.
	The Child Poverty Act 2010 sets four income-based UK-wide targets to be met by 2020. The targets are based on the proportion of children living in households with relative low income, absolute low income, combined low income and material deprivation and persistent poverty (all before housing costs have been taken into account).
	Relative low income and absolute low income figures for the last 10 years and combined low income and material deprivation for the last seven years for Scotland can be found in table 1 as follows:
	
		
			 Table 1. Child Poverty Statistics for Scotland—number and percentage of children falling below various thresholds, 2001-02 to 2010-11 
			  Relative low income (BHC) Absolute low income (BHC) Combined low income and material deprivation 
			  Thousand Percentage Thousand Percentage Thousand Percentage 
			 2001-02 280 27 170 16 — — 
			 2002-03 260 25 170 16 — — 
			 2003-04 250 24 160 15 — — 
			 2004-05 210 21 130 13 170 16 
			 2005-06 210 21 130 12 130 13 
			 2006-07 210 21 120 12 160 16 
			 2007-08 200 20 120 12 150 15 
			 2008-09 210 21 110 11 160 16 
			 2009-10 200 20 110 11 150 15 
			 2010-11 170 17 100 10 130 13 
			 Notes: 1. These statistics are based on the Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland: 2010-11 data sourced from the 2010-11 Family Resources Survey (FRS) and is available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0039/00394961.pdf 2. The income measures used to derive the estimates shown employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication "Households Below Average Income" (HBAI) series, which uses disposable household income, adjusted using modified OECD equivalisation factors for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living and is available at: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=hbai_arc 3. The relative low income child poverty measure captures the number of children who live in a household with an equivalised income below 60% of contemporary median income, Before Housing Costs (BHC). 4. The absolute low income child poverty measure captures the number of children who live in a household with an equivalised income below 60% of 1998-99 median household income held constant in real terms. 5. The combined low income and material deprivation measure captures the number of children who live in a household with an equivalised income below 70% of contemporary median income and have a material deprivation score of 25 or more. A suite of questions designed to capture the material deprivation experienced by families have only been captured since 2004-05 and are therefore only available from this year onwards. 6. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to a degree of uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 7. Numbers and percentages of children in low-income households have been rounded to the nearest 10,000 children or percentage point. Source: Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland: 2010-11 
		
	
	Figures for persistent poverty are published in a separate statistical release called Persistent Poverty in Scotland and can be found in table 2 as follows:
	
		
			 Table 2. Persistent Child Poverty Statistics (%) for Scotland 1999-2002 to 2005-08 
			  Persistent Poverty (BHC) (%) 
			 1999-2002 19 
			 2000-03 18 
			 2001-04 17 
			 2002-05 13 
			 2003-06 12 
			 2004-07 13 
			 2005-08 13 
			 Notes: 1. These statistics are based on the Persistent Poverty in Scotland data sourced from the British Households Panel Survey (BHPS) and is available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0039/00395002.pdf 2. The persistent child poverty measure captures the number of children who have lived in a household with an equivalised income of less than 60% of contemporary median income for at least three of the last four years, BHC. 3. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to a degree of uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 4. Percentages of children in low-income households have been rounded to the nearest percentage point. Source: Persistent Poverty in Scotland

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Bradford district were sanctioned under his Department's mandatory work activity scheme for failing to participate in the scheme whilst claiming job seeker's allowance.

Mark Hoban: The number of individuals claiming jobseeker’s allowance (JSA) that have had sanctions applied for failing to participate in mandatory work activity in Bradford local authority between 16 May 2011 to 30 April 2012 is 130.
	Note:
	Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate: JSA Sanctions and Disallowance Decisions Statistics Database.

State Retirement Pensions

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of women born between 6 June 1951 and 5 December 1953 who will reach state pension age before men born during the same period; if he will estimate (a) the number of such women who will receive a state pension of less than £140 per week and (b) the average state pension of (i) women and (ii) men born during this period; what recent discussions he has had about pensioner poverty among pensioners who will reach pension age before the single tier state pension scheme starts; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: holding answer 18 September 2012
	Women born between 6 June 1951 and 5 December 1953 reach state pension age between 6 September 2012 and 6 November 2018 so information on actual amounts of state pension is not yet available. The Department's forecasting models suggest that around 1 million women and around 2.2 million men will start to receive state pension between April 2012 and March 2019:
	(a) Around 510,000 of these women are estimated to have a gross state pension of less than £140 per week (in 2012-13 earnings terms) or around 50% of all women in this cohort. For the men starting to receive state pension over the same period around 460,000 are estimated to have a gross state pension of less than £140 per week (in 2012-13 earnings terms) or around 20% of all men in this cohort.
	(b) The average (median) amount of gross state pension for women in this group is estimated to be around £140 per week. The average (median) amount of gross state pension for men starting to receive state pension over the same period is estimated to be around £185 per week.
	The estimates above are for gross state pension amounts which include additional pension rights accrued in private pension schemes during periods of contracting out. They do not include income from means tested benefits.
	(c) The Government wants all pensioners to have a decent and secure income in retirement. Pension credit provides a safety net for the poorest pensioners by topping up income to a minimum amount, and Government has restored the earnings link for the basic state pension and given a "triple guarantee" that the basic state pension will increase by the highest of the growth in average earnings, price increases or 2.5%.
	Source:
	(a) and (b): The Department's PENSIM2 simulation model October 2012 and DWP Forecasting Division: Budget 2012. Figures relate to Great Britain only.

Telephone Services

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what enquiry and claims telephone lines his Department operates which are (a) free to the caller and (b) may incur a charge to the caller; and what the principal access number is of each.

Mark Hoban: The information is as follows:
	
		
			 List of 0800 and 0845 numbers operated by Contact Centre Services (CCS), Pensions Service and Disability and Carers Service (DCS) 
			 Business Service line Telephone number Cost incurred/free (if calling from a BT landline) Free to call from mobile providers? (1) 
			 JCP Balfour Beatty Switchboard - WSD 0845 6043719 Cost incurred No 
			 JCP Balfour Beatty Switchboard Welsh - WSD 0845 6044248 Cost incurred No 
			 JCP Benefit Cap 0845 6057064 Cost incurred No 
			 JCP Benefit Cap Welsh 0845 6057066 Cost incurred No 
			 JCP Crisis Loan 0800 0327952 Free Yes 
			 JCP Crisis Loan Welsh 0800 0328355 Free Yes 
			 JCP Employer Direct 0845 6012001 Cost incurred No 
			 JCP Employer Direct Welsh 0845 6014441 Cost incurred No 
			 JCP First Contact 0800 0556688 Free Yes 
			 JCP First Contact Welsh 0800 0121888 Free Yes 
			 JCP HSE 0845 3009923 Cost incurred No 
			 JCP Jobseeker Direct 0845 6060234 Cost incurred No 
			 JCP Jobseeker Direct Welsh 0845 6067890 Cost incurred No 
			 JCP Local Authority Fraud Hotline 0800 3286340 Free No 
			 JCP Maternity Allowance 0845 6088610 Cost incurred No 
			 JCP Maternity Allowance Welsh 0845 6088674 Cost incurred No 
			 JCP NINO 0845 6000643 Cost incurred No 
			 JCP NINO Welsh 0845 6021491 Cost incurred No 
			 JCP NBFH 0800 854440 Free No 
			 JCP NBFH Welsh 0800 6783722 Free No 
			 JCP Provider Helpdesk 0845 604 4015 Cost incurred No 
			 JCP Primary Benefit Enquiries (2)— Cost incurred No 
			 JCP Primary Benefit Enquiries Welsh (ENQUIRE and IB Migration) 0845 6003018 Cost incurred No 
		
	
	
		
			 JCP IB Migration 0845 6008192 Cost incurred No 
			 JCP Sanctions 0845 6023024 Cost incurred No 
			 JCP Sanctions Welsh 0845 6023018 Cost incurred No 
			 JCP Social Fund 0845 6036967 Cost incurred No 
			 JCP Self Service Helpline 0845 6043349 Cost incurred No 
			 JCP Self Service Helpline Welsh 0845 6043412 Cost incurred No 
			 JCP Tax Evasion Hotline 0800 788887 Free No 
			 JCP UKBA Datamatch (status validation helpline) 0845 6003080 Cost incurred No 
			 JCP Workplace Pension Information Line 0845 6001268 Cost incurred No 
			 JCP Workplace Pension Information Line Welsh 0845 6008187 Cost incurred No 
			 PDCS Pension Service 0845 6060265 Cost incurred No 
			 PDCS State Pension Claim Line 0800 7317898 Free Yes 
			 PDCS Pension Credit Claim Line 0800 991234 Free Yes 
			 PDCS Future Pension Centre 0845 3000168 Cost incurred No 
			 PDCS Future Pension Centre - Overseas 0845 6010322 (0191 2183600) Cost incurred No 
			 PDCS National Pension Centre 0845 3013011 Cost incurred No 
			 PDCS International Pension Service 0845 6010008 (01912187777) Cost incurred No 
			 PDCS Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance Helpline 0845 7123456 Cost incurred No 
			 PDCS Carers Allowance 0845 6084321 Cost incurred No 
			 PDCS Benefit Enquiry Line 0800 882200 Free Yes 
			 PDCS Disability Living Allowance Helpine (DWP) 0845 6020194 Cost incurred No 
			 PDCS Disability Living Allowance - Motability 0845 6020197 Cost incurred No 
			 PDCS Disability Living Allowance - Third Party 0845 9000121 Cost incurred No 
			 PDCS Tell Us Once 0800 0857308 Free No 
			 PDCS Method Of Payment Reform 0800 0856528 Free No 
			 PDCS Method Of Payment Reform 0800 0857075 Free Yes 
			 PDCS Method Of Payment Reform 0800 0857102 Free No 
			 PDCS Pension Tracing Service 0845 6002537 Cost incurred No 
			 PDCS Pensions Savings for Later Life 0800 6781132 Free No 
			 PDCS State Pension Equalisation 0845 6005362 Cost incurred No 
			 PDCS PDCS TPS Pension Credit 0800 7314811 Free Yes 
			 PDCS State Pension Deferrals 0800 7315413 Free No 
			 PDCS National Pension Centre - Home Responsibilities Payments 0800 917 7306 Free No 
			 PDCS Local Service (DWP Visiting) 0800 9179149 Free No 
			 PDCS Winter Fuel Helpline 0845 9151515 Cost incurred No 
			 PDCS State Pension Welsh 0800 7317936 Free Yes 
			 PDCS Changes (Welsh) 0845 6060275 Cost incurred No 
			 (1) DWP has an agreement with 02, Orange, Vodafone, T-Mobile, Hutchison 3G, Tesco Mobile, Virgin Mobile and Cable and Wireless. This agreement allows many DWP customers to make free mobile phone calls from their participating networks to the Department's 0800 customer numbers. (2)Various 0845s-see Table 2 for all 73 English 0845 numbers. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2 
			 Primary benefit  i nquiry 0845 Numbers 
			 Aberdeen 0845 608 8749 
			 Barnsley 0845 608 8560 
			 Basildon 0845 608 8575 
			 Bathgate 0845 608 8630 
			 Belfast 0845 608 8770 
			 Birkenhead 0845 608 8529 
			 Bolton 0845 608 8531 
			 Bristol East 0845 608 8597 
			 Burnley 0845 608 8502 
			 Bradford 0845 608 8556 
			 Bury St Edmunds 0845 608 8618 
			 Caerphilly 0845 608 8562 
			 Cannock 0845 608 8676 
			 Canterbury 0845 608 8501 
			 Carlisle 0845 608 8545 
			 Chester 0845 608 8534 
			 Chesterfield 0845 608 8521 
			 Chippenham 0845 608 8621 
			 Chorlton 0845 608 8504 
			 Clyde and Fife 0845 608 8582 
			 Clydebank 0845 600 1506 
			 Coatbridge 0845 608 8645 
			 Cosham 0845 608 8573 
			 Derby 0845 608 8506 
			 Doncaster 0845 608 8508 
			 Exeter 0845 608 8564 
		
	
	
		
			 Glasgow 0845 603 6347 
			 Gloucester 0845 608 8624 
			 Greenock 0845 608 8598 
			 Hackney 0845 600 6334 
			 Halifax 0845 608 8548 
			 Handsworth 0845 608 8648 
			 Hanley 0845 608 8673 
			 Hastings 0845 608 8757 
			 Hull 0845 608 8546 
			 Huyton 0845 608 8535 
			 Hyde 0845 608 8526 
			 Ilford 0845 600 2612 
			 Kilmarnock 0845 608 8632 
			 Leeds 0845 608 8590 
			 Leicester 0845 608 8525 
			 Lincoln 0845 608 8532 
			 Lisahally 0845 603 5759 
			 Llanelli 0845 608 8554 
			 Luton 0845 608 8627 
			 Mansfield 0845 608 8518 
			 Makerfield 0845 377 6001 
			 Merthyr Tydfil 0845 608 8552 
			 Newport 0845 608 8569 
			 Norwich 0845 608 8571 
		
	
	
		
			 Nottingham 0845 608 8528 
			 Newcastle 0845 608 8642 
			 Oldham 0845 608 8523 
			 Preston 0845 608 8524 
			 Peterborough 0845 608 8603 
			 Plymouth 0845 603 6095 
			 Ramsgate 0845 608 8626 
			 Ravenhurst 0845 608 8657 
			 Sheffield 0845 600 1267 
			 St Austell 0845 608 8578 
			 St Helens 0845 608 8503 
			 Stockton 0845 600 1651 
			 Sunderland 0845 608 8637 
			 Stratford 0845 600 0148 
			 Totton 0845 608 8620 
			 Walsall 0845 602 0206 
			 Watford 0845 608 8583 
			 Wellingborough 0845 609 4904 
			 Wolverhampton 0845 600 3115 
			 Worcester 0845 608 8665 
			 Worthing 0845 608 8715 
			 Wrexham 0845 600 3016 
			 York 0845 608 8550 
		
	
	
		
			 Textphone services 
			 Business Service line Number Cost incurred/free (if calling from a BT landline) 
			 JCP First Contact English and Welsh and E-Claims Helpline 0800 023 4888 Free 
			 JCP Crisis Loans 0800 032 7958 Free 
			 JCP National Benefit Fraud Hotline English and Welsh 0800 328 0512 Free 
			 JCP Local Authority Fraud Hotline 0800 328 6341 Free 
			 JCP Jobseeker Direct 0845 605 5255 Cost incurred 
			 JCP DWP Recruitment Line English and Welsh 0845 600 8191 Cost incurred 
			 JCP Workplace Pensions 0845 850 0363 Cost incurred 
			 JCP NINO Allocation English and Welsh 0845 600 0644 Cost incurred 
			 JCP Jobseeker Direct (Welsh) 0845 604 4022 Cost incurred 
			 JCP Social Fund/Maternity Allowance 0845 608 8553 Cost incurred 
			 JCP Primary Benefit and Ben Cap 0845 608 8551 Cost incurred 
			 JCP Self Service Helpline Textphone English and Welsh 0845 604 0523 Cost incurred 
			 JCP Employer Direct 0845 601 2002 Cost incurred 
			 JCP ED Welsh Text Phone 0845 601 4442 Cost incurred 
			 PDCS Method Payment Reform 0800 085 7146 Free 
			   0800 085 7305 (Welsh) Free 
			 PDCS Tell Us Once 0800 141 2218 Free 
			 PDCS State Pension Claim Line 0800 731 7339 Free 
			   0800 7317013  
			 PDCS Benefit Enquiry Line 0800 243 355 Free 
			 PDCS Pension Credit Claim Line 0800 169 0133 Free 
			 PDCS Future Pension Centre 0845 3000169 Cost incurred 
			 PDCS National Pension Centre 0845 301 3012 Cost incurred 
			 PDCS International Pension Centre 0800 032 6436 Free 
			 PDCS Changes 0845 60 60 285 Cost incurred 
			 PDCS  0845 60 60 295 Cost incurred 
			 PDCS Carers Allowance 0845 604 5312 Cost incurred 
			 PDCS DLA and AA Main Line 08457 22 44 33 Cost incurred 
		
	
	Debt Management
	Debt Management does not operate any inquiry lines that are free to the caller. They have three inquiry lines as follows:
	
		
			 0845 8500293 Debt Recovery 
			 0845 8500051 Recovery From Estates 
			 0845 6046697 Textphone 
		
	
	All these numbers incur charges to the caller which are dependent on the service providers' tariff.
	In addition Debt Management has one geographic inquiry line: 44 161 904 1233 This is specifically for customers living abroad (as the non-geographic numbers do not always work from overseas). Charges for these calls will be at the service providers' international tariff.
	Child Maintenance Group
	The Child Maintenance Group do not have any 0800 free to call customer numbers. Their customer facing numbers are prefaced by 0845 which are typically charged at between 1p and 10.5p per minute from a landline. Calls from mobile phones generally cost between 12p and 41p per minute.
	Any call a customer makes will incur a charge and this is dependent upon their service provider and whether the call is made from a landline or mobile.
	Our telephony is not split between inquiries and claims. Child support telephony are geographical numbers based upon the home address of the parent with care for the six different regional areas, for our customers with claims which have been active since 2003. There is a separate number for customers with active claims prior to 2003, and a dedicated number for employers. The numbers are as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			 Eastern 0845 6090092 
			 North West 0845 6090082 
			 Midlands 0845 6090062 
			 Northern 0845 6090042 
			 South East 0845 6090052 
			 South West 0845 6090072 
			 Employer Helpline 0845 7136010 
			 Pre-2003 Scheme Helpline 0845 7133133

Universal Credit

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost to his Department is of the (a) helpline and (b) training for hon. Members and their staff on the introduction of universal credit.

Mark Hoban: We are developing our plans to support hon. Members and their staff during the introduction of universal credit: costs are therefore not yet available. We will use the opportunity of our pathfinder approach to develop and test support arrangements which balance the need to provide appropriate advice and to focus our investment on the service offered to claimants.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place on his Department's website a record of the actions from meetings of the Universal Credit Finance and Commercial Working Group which have taken place since January 2012.

Steve Webb: The Universal Credit Finance and Commercial Working Group is a joint forum with local authorities to discuss and assess financial impacts of DWP's universal credit programme and related matters. The DWP website currently contains summaries of transactions of this group from some previous meetings. We are developing a new, more secure and interactive web application that will allow for more discussion and access to documents and transactions from this and other bodies. When this is available we will ensure that the records are brought up to date.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will update his Department's website to include the minutes of the meetings of the Local Authority Transition Working Group which have taken place since the last published minutes in February 2012.

Steve Webb: The Local Authority Transition Working Group is an important forum to engage with local authorities about all aspects of DWP's universal credit programme. The DWP website currently contains summaries of transactions of this group from some previous meetings. We are developing a new, more secure and interactive web application that will allow for more discussion and access to documents and transactions from this and other bodies. When this is available we will ensure that the records are brought up to date.

Welfare Reform Act 2012

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Minister for Social Development and (b) the Finance Minister in Northern Ireland on introducing operational flexibility and mitigation measures for the implementation of the Welfare Reform Act 2012 in Northern Ireland.

Mark Hoban: Ministers from both Administrations meet regularly to discuss these issues and others of mutual interest.

Work Capability Assessment

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will consider contracting work capability assessments to the NHS.

Mark Hoban: The current contract end date for provision of Work Capability Assessments is August 2015. Future provision will be contracted for through our Health and Disability Assessment Framework which was let in April 2012. The Framework has been let for an initial five year period and can be extended for a further two years. NHS are not among the suppliers on the Health and Disability Assessment Framework and so will not be invited to tender directly. Organisations who are on the Health and Disability Assessment Framework may choose to subcontract the delivery of assessment services and so there is the potential for the NHS to become involved in that capacity.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 3 September 2012, Official Report, column 166W, on employment schemes, when during the autumn he plans to conduct the next exercise to determine the proportion of Work programme attachments which are referred to tier one and tier two voluntary sector organisations.

Mark Hoban: An exercise looking at the proportion of Work programme referrals to voluntary sector organisations in tier one and two of supply chains is currently under way, and is expected to be completed before the end of autumn 2012.